# Franklin Tree (Franklinia alatamaha)

> Extinct in the wild since 1803, the Franklin tree opens fragrant white flowers from July until frost among leaves that turn red in fall.

Also called franklinia, lost camellia, Gordonia alatamaha. Category: Uncommon Yard Trees. Grown from seed by Blue Whale Trees. Web version: https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/franklin-tree/

![Franklin tree (Franklinia alatamaha) white flower with yellow stamens among red fall leaves](https://bluewhaletrees.com/img/plants/franklin-tree-h1610-800.jpg)
*Photo: Wendy Cutler, CC BY 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AFranklinia_alatamaha_%281%29.jpg)*

## Facts

- Type: Small tree
- Mature height: 10 to 25 ft
- USDA hardiness zones: 5 to 9
- Grew wild in: A sandhill bog by the Altamaha River in Georgia, last seen in 1803
- Native range: Georgia
- Sun: Full, Part
- Soil moisture: Average
- Growth rate: Slow
- Traits: Rare, Showy flowers, Fall color, Winter interest
- Sold as: Saplings, Seed

Heights and zones are typical ranges for the species in cultivation; local conditions and seed source shift them.

## Availability

Not yet priced online. Ask at captain@bluewhaletrees.com or leave an email on the web page to be told when it is listed.

## Notes

The Franklin tree is a small tree of the tea family, named by William Bartram for Benjamin Franklin. John and William Bartram found it beside the Altamaha River in Georgia in 1765, and it has never been found growing wild anywhere else. Every Franklin tree alive descends from seed the Bartrams collected. Most, if not all, trace to the seed William carried home to Philadelphia in 1777 and raised in his father's garden. A genetic study found two groups among cultivated trees, a sign that the seed came from at least two wild trees. All winter the round, woody seed capsules hang on the bare branches. Keep it near a patio or a window, where the late flowers and the fall color can be watched every day.

## Size, growth and what to expect

The Franklin tree grows slowly, about a foot a year in our growth estimator. It makes a tree of 10 to 25 feet on one trunk or several, with a crown 6 to 15 feet wide. It can flower within 4 years from seed, and ripe seed follows a year later.

It flowers from July until frost, and at its peak the tree is covered day after day with blooms. Each flower is about 3 inches across, white around a boss of yellow stamens, and sweetly fragrant. It lasts a single day. The leaves turn orange, red and purple in fall. The seed takes a year to ripen, so last year's woody capsules split in October and November.

Its only known wild stand covered two or three acres of sandhill bog near Fort Barrington on the Altamaha River. The last report of it, by the plant collector John Lyon in 1803, counted six to eight trees on less than half an acre. A census in 1999 found nearly 2,000 in cultivation in nine countries.

## How to grow Franklin Tree

The Franklin tree flowers and colors best in full sun, with some afternoon shade where summers are hot. It needs an acid soil that stays moist but drains freely, since wet ground rots the roots. On heavy clay, plant it in a raised bed, and at the cold end of its range give it a sheltered spot. It suits small spaces, so it can stand 10 feet from a wall. Set trees 12 feet apart, and keep them at least 15 feet from overhead wires.

Saplings ship potted. Its roots are sparse and it moves badly, so choose the spot for good and leave the tree undisturbed. Plant it dormant, in a hole wider than the root ball and no deeper. Set the root flare at the soil line, put the native soil back in, and keep the mulch clear of the trunk. Sow fresh seed in fall, as soon as the capsules split, and do not let it dry. Barely cover it, since it needs light to sprout. For spring, keep it damp in the refrigerator for one to two months first.

Water weekly through the first two summers, since it takes drought poorly, but never keep the ground soggy. Keep a ring of mulch over the roots. Guard young stems with wire against deer and rabbits for the first few years. Prune only dead or broken wood.

A single Franklin tree sets seed, since it is self-fertile. It has a reputation for being difficult to grow, and wilt and root rot are its serious problems. The root rot, from the soil organism Phytophthora, strikes where the ground stays too wet. Never plant it where cotton once grew, since a cotton disease also attacks it.

## Sources

- [Flora of North America, vol. 8: Franklinia](http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=112994)
- [USDA Forest Service, Woody Plant Seed Manual: Franklinia alatamaha, Franklin tree, J. J. Griffin and F. A. Blazich](https://www.fs.usda.gov/nsl/Wpsm/Franklinia.pdf)
- [NatureServe Explorer: Franklinia alatamaha](https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.142925/Franklinia_alatamaha)
- [NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: Franklinia alatamaha](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/franklinia-alatamaha/)
- [Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder: Franklinia alatamaha](https://plantfinder.mobot.org/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=q160)
- [Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Franklinia alatamaha](https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=FRAL)
- [Virginia Tech Dendrology: Franklin tree](https://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=453)
- [Bartram's Garden, Joel T. Fry: Franklinia Series, Finding Franklinia alatamaha, part one, 2021-07-19](https://www.bartramsgarden.org/franklinia-series-finding-franklinia-alatamaha-part-one/)
- [University of Georgia, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Angela Hsiung: Rooted in revelation](https://warnell.uga.edu/news/stories/2021/rooted-revelation-researchers-dogged-quest-aims-reveal-genetic-diversity)
- [Chicago Botanic Garden: Franklinia alatamaha](https://www.chicagobotanic.org/plant-information/plant-finder/franklinia-alatamaha-franklinia)
- [Trees and Shrubs Online (International Dendrology Society): Franklinia alatamaha](https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/franklinia/franklinia-alatamaha/)

## Read before planting

- [Ten planting mistakes that quietly kill trees](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/ten-planting-mistakes/index.html.md)
- [Transplanting young trees: timing, water and protection](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/transplanting-young-trees/index.html.md)
- [Protecting young trees from voles, rabbits, deer and squirrels](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/protecting-trees-from-animals/index.html.md)
- [Why leaves turn red and yellow in fall, and which native trees give each color](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/why-leaves-turn-red-and-yellow-in-fall/index.html.md)
- [Multistem or single stem? Sometimes the trunk is hiding the answer](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/multistem-or-single-stem/index.html.md)
- [Leaf litter, not wood chips, under the canopy](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/leaf-litter-not-wood-chips/index.html.md)

## Related

- [Planting-site check](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/site-check/index.html.md): for a thrive, struggle or fail verdict on Franklin Tree, add ?species=franklin-tree with zone (2 to 10), sun (full, part, shade) and moisture (dry, average, wet) to that address, for example ?species=franklin-tree&zone=5&sun=part&moisture=average.
- [Companion species for Franklin Tree](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/companions/index.html.md?species=franklin-tree): the natives that share its ground and the plants that pair with it in a yard.
- [Growth estimator](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/growth/index.html.md): how the height and trunk projections are made; the estimate itself runs in the browser at https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/growth/#species=franklin-tree
- [Seed sowing planner](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/sowing/index.html.md): how Franklin Tree is sown, in the chart for every species (treatment, cold days, depth, timing); the dated plan runs in the browser at https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/sowing/#species=franklin-tree
- [Pollination planner](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/pollination/index.html.md): what Franklin Tree needs for a crop and how many to plant, in the table for every species; the planner runs in the browser at https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/pollination/#plants=franklin-tree:1
- [Bloom and fruit calendar](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/calendar/index.html.md): the months Franklin Tree flowers and fruits, in the grid for every species.