Franklinia Tree
Franklinia alatamaha
(frank-LIN-ee-uh) (uh-lah-tah-MAH-hah)
This is the latest flowering tree in the large garden I take care of. It is such a great tree on so many levels. It is just finishing blooming here in Connecticut. This tree is now extinct in the wild, with all known specimens in cultivation. It is sometimes said this was ‘America’s first rare plant’. You don’t see them planted in gardens, not enough in my opinion anyway. I usually find a way to work one of them in. It has wonderful fall color soon after the flowers drop. One thing about the Franklin tree is it sometimes takes a long time to emerge in the spring. You might think it is dead but eventually it pushes out the good-looking foliage. All of the specimens I cultivate are ‘on the edge’, on the edge of the woods that is, and they seem to be able to function well with a little bit of shade.
1 comment:
this is a beautiful, delicate tree. My parents had one in their yard near annapolis MD. It atttracted so many swallowtail butterflies that at first glance, they appear to be part of the flower. In the morning and the evening there would be nearly as many hummingbirds around the flowers.
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