Tree · Theaceae
Franklin Tree
Franklinia alatamaha
Cup-shaped white blooms and blazing red-orange leaves on a tree extinct in the wild since the early 1800s.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
USDA 5–8
10–25 ft · 3–7.6 m
Overview
The Franklin tree ranks among the great rarities of American gardens, a small flowering member of the tea family that no longer grows anywhere in the wild. John and William Bartram came upon it beside Georgia's Altamaha River in the 1760s and brought seed back with them, and that lone gathering stands behind every Franklinia alive now. The wild population had vanished for good by the early 1800s.
Its claim on a garden is the late-season display. White flowers shaped like shallow cups, each cradling a boss of gold stamens, open from late summer into early fall, often against leaves already flaring deep red and orange. The tree keeps a modest frame, climbing 10 to 25 feet (3 to 7.6 m) as a slow single trunk or a multi-stemmed small tree.
None of that comes cheap. The Franklin tree is demanding to grow, particular about drainage, and swift to die of root rot in the wrong ground. Set it in cool, moist, sharply drained acidic soil, keep it away from clay and heat, and you stand a chance with one of the most singular trees a gardener can keep.
Care
The short version: full sun to part shade in rich, acidic, sharply drained soil that never stands wet. Hold the soil evenly moist, keep the tree clear of heat, drought, and clay, and above all fend off root rot.
Light
Set the Franklin tree in full sun to partial shade. Strong light draws out the fullest bloom and the richest fall color, while a touch of shade over the harshest midday hours eases it through hot summers.
Water
Hold the soil consistently moist but never waterlogged, the one rule this tree lives or dies by. It stands neither drought nor wet feet, so water it through dry stretches while the ground still drains freely. Saturated soil opens the door to the root rot that carries off most Franklin trees.
Soil
Plant into organically rich, well-drained, acidic sandy loam at a pH of 4.5 to 6.0. Sharp drainage counts for as much here as richness, so dig in generous organic matter and keep well away from heavy clay.
Temperature
The tree takes a broad temperature span, from roughly -20°F to 95°F (-29°C to 35°C), which fits it to USDA zones 5 through 8. Long heat wears on it, so the cooler reaches of that range show it at its best.
Humidity
Plain outdoor air suits it with no target to chase. Free drainage and moving air matter far more to this tree than any moisture held in the atmosphere.
Feeding
Feed once in spring with an acidic, slow-release fertilizer built for acid-loving plants. That single seasonal feeding covers it, and matching the mix to the tree's taste for acid ground keeps its slow growth steady.
Pruning
The Franklin tree calls for very little pruning. Clip away dead, damaged, or crossing branches in late winter, and use the same window to shape it if you are training a single-trunk form.
Repotting
A tree in open ground never needs repotting, and even a potted one is rarely stepped up. Roots winding the pot, roots poking out the drainage holes, or water racing straight through are the signs a container specimen has at last outgrown its home.
Size & spacing
Look for a grown height of 10 to 25 feet (3 to 7.6 m) and a spread of 6 to 15 feet (1.8 to 4.6 m). Leave it space to stand alone as a specimen, where the late cup-shaped flowers and burning fall leaves earn every eye they draw.
When to plant
The Franklin tree keeps a slow, cool-weather calendar. Start seed in late winter to early spring once it has had a stretch of cold stratification, plant young trees out in spring after the last frost or in early fall, and look for the cup-shaped blooms from late summer through the first frost.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: late winter to early spring after cold stratification
- Plant: spring after last frost or early fall
- Harvest: late summer to early fall (July to first frost)
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 5–8
Temperature: down to -29°C
Troubleshooting
Nearly every Franklin tree that fails does so at the roots and in the water sitting around them. Get used to telling rot from wilt from ordinary drought, because each one calls for a different cure. Match what you find below and move fast, since this tree grants little room to hesitate.
Blackened soft roots beneath fast wilt and dieback
Leaves droop and yellow, whole branches die back, and below ground the roots turn dark and slimy: that is Phytophthora root rot, the single worst killer of this tree. It sets in wherever soggy, packed, or clay-heavy ground traps water at the crown, leaving a discolored, mushy stem base. A far-gone tree cannot be brought back, so sharpen the drainage right away, lift any survivors onto a raised mound of loose acidic soil, and dig out and burn the worst plants before the rot travels.
Fix:
- Improve drainage immediately and stop overwatering
- Plant or transplant into a raised bed or mound of well-drained, organically rich acidic soil
- Remove and destroy severely affected plants to limit spread
Limp, drooping leaves above roots that are not sodden
Foliage that goes limp and branches that die back while the soil drains cleanly and holds even moisture point to wilt disease, which strikes this species hard, or to plain drought stress in a tree with no patience for dry ground. Prune out the affected wood and bin it, then hold the soil evenly damp without letting it turn wet. Keeping the tree in a cool, moist, sharply drained acidic spot, clear of heat, drought, and pollution, is what heads the trouble off.
Fix:
- Remove and dispose of affected branches
- Maintain even soil moisture without waterlogging
- Avoid stressing the plant with drought, heat, or transplanting
Leaves reduced to a lace of veins and notches
Foliage that turns ragged and lacy, chewed down until only the veins remain, usually carries sawfly larvae feeding across the growing season. On a tree this small you can pluck them off with your fingers or blast them loose with a hard stream of water. Hold any insecticide back for a heavy attack, and check the leaves often so the larvae get caught the moment they appear.
Fix:
- Hand-pick larvae from small trees
- Use a strong spray of water to dislodge larvae
- Treat with an appropriate insecticide only if infestation is heavy
Toxicity
Reassuring word for homes with animals: the Franklin tree is not toxic. It appears on no list of plants that poison cats or dogs, and the same holds for the other creatures around a garden. A pet that chews a leaf may get a short stomach upset from the rough greenery, and no more than that.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
This tree holds no known toxins, so a cat that bites into a leaf has nothing to worry about. Should it swallow a large wad of the leathery foliage, you might see a bit of drooling or a passing stomach upset that settles by itself.
Dogs Safe
A dog can gnaw the leaves without harm, since the tree sits nowhere on the lists of plants that poison them. A genuine binge might bring on some mild vomiting, and that clears fast.
Horses Safe
The leaves, bark, and cup-shaped flowers hold nothing toxic to horses, so a nibble at the branches while grazing does no damage.
Rabbits Safe
A rabbit can browse the foliage safely. As with any fresh green, offer just a little at first so its gut has time to adjust.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep run no risk of poisoning from this tree, and a chance mouthful cropped in pasture leaves them fine.
Birds Safe
Birds meet no chemical hazard here, whether they roost among the branches or peck at the woody seed capsules.
People Safe
No part of this tree, from leaf to bark to bloom, is poisonous to people. It is an ornamental rather than a food plant, though, so there is no cause to eat it.
No special handling precautions are required for pets, though ingestion of any non-food plant can cause mild stomach upset.
Varieties
The species carries no garden cultivars of its own, yet a hybrid and a handful of near relatives in the tea family reward a closer look.
x Gordlinia grandiflora (Mountain Gordlinia)
Raised at NC State in 2002 from a cross of Franklinia with Gordonia, this semi-evergreen hybrid pushes growth faster than either parent and opens broader blooms that reach 5 inches (13 cm) across.
Gordonia lasianthus (Loblolly Bay)
An evergreen tree of the same tea family and a near relative, it passed its greater toughness into the Gordlinia cross as one of that hybrid's parents.
Schima and Stewartia relatives
Schima and Stewartia fill out the Franklin tree's nearest kin within the tea family (Theaceae), and Schima sits beside Gordonia and Franklinia in the tribe Gordonieae.
How to propagate
Raising more Franklin trees calls for patience and a stomach for failure. Seed is the dependable route, while cuttings are a long shot worth a go only when you have plants you can afford to risk.
SeedModerate
Sow in late winter to spring after cold stratification · Several years to reach flowering size
Seed pulled from the tree's woody capsules is the old and proven way to raise a Franklin tree, the same route by which every cultivated plant traces back to the Bartrams' first collection. Chill the seed through a spell of cold stratification, then sow it from late winter on into spring. Count on patience, since a seedling needs several years before it grows large enough to flower.
Stem cuttingsDemanding
Softwood cuttings in summer · Slow and challenging to root
There is also the option of softwood cuttings taken in summer, though a low strike rate comes with it. The cuttings root slowly and grudgingly, and the tree resists getting established by any means, so expect a fair number to fail before one holds.
Myths
Franklin trees still stand wild on the banks of Georgia's Altamaha River.
No wild plant has stood along that river since the early 1800s, and every search mounted since has come back empty. Each Franklin tree living today descends from seed the Bartrams gathered before the species disappeared from the only ground it ever grew on.
Something this rare and elegantly named is bound to flourish in any garden.
How scarce a tree is tells you nothing about how forgiving it will be, and this one has a hard reputation earned honestly. It succumbs fast to root rot and refuses clay, wet feet, drought, heat, and pollution alike. Give it cool, moist, sharply drained acidic soil or plan to lose it.