Tree · Theaceae
Franklin Tree
Franklinia alatamaha
Late summer flowers and glowing autumn color from 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
Few small trees carry the quiet prestige of the Franklin tree, a flowering member of the tea family that no longer grows anywhere in the wild. John and William Bartram came upon it along Georgia's Altamaha River in the 1760s and brought seed north, and that lone collection stands behind every Franklinia in gardens today. By the early 1800s its wild home had emptied for good.
The reason to give it a place is the performance it saves for the close of the season. Cup-shaped white flowers set with a crown of gold stamens open from late summer into early fall, often against leaves already deepening to red and orange. It keeps a graceful, modest frame, rising to 10 to 25 feet (3 to 7.6 m) as a slow single trunk or a multi-stemmed small tree that reads as a centerpiece.
None of that comes without demands. The Franklin tree is demanding to grow, particular about drainage, and swift to succumb to root rot in a poor site. Set it in cool, moist, sharply drained acidic soil, keep it away from clay and heat, and you have a real chance at one of the most memorable trees a garden can hold.
Care
The short version: site it in full sun to part shade in rich, acidic, sharply drained soil that never sits wet. Hold the ground evenly moist, keep the tree clear of heat, drought, and clay, and above all defend it against root rot.
Light
Set the Franklin tree in full sun to partial shade. Bright light draws out the best flowering and color, though a touch of shade across the hottest stretch of the day eases it through warm summers.
Water
Hold the soil consistently moist but never waterlogged; this balance is the heart of growing the tree well. It has no tolerance for drought or for wet feet, so water through dry spells while keeping the ground free-draining. Waterlogged soil opens the door to the root rot that claims most Franklin trees.
Soil
Give it organically rich, well-drained, acidic sandy loam at a pH of 4.5 to 6.0. Sharp drainage weighs as heavily as fertility, so fold in generous organic matter and keep it well away from heavy clay.
Temperature
The tree stands a broad span, roughly -20°F to 95°F (-29°C to 35°C), which places it across USDA zones 5 through 8. Long heat is not to its liking, so it shows to best effect toward the cooler side of that range.
Humidity
Everyday outdoor humidity serves it well, with no target to chase. Good drainage and moving air matter far more here than moisture held in the atmosphere.
Feeding
Feed once in spring with an acidic, slow-release fertilizer intended for acid-loving plants. A single seasonal feeding does the job, and pairing the fertilizer to the tree's taste for acid soil keeps growth even and steady.
Pruning
The Franklin tree asks for very little pruning. Clear away dead, damaged, or crossing branches in late winter, and shape it in the same season if you are training it as a single-trunk form.
Repotting
In open ground the tree never needs repotting, and even container plants are rarely moved up. Roots looping the pot, roots reaching through the drainage holes, or water that runs straight through are the cues that a potted tree has outgrown its home.
Size & spacing
Plan for a mature 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). Give it open ground as a specimen, set where its late flowers and autumn color can command the view.
When to plant
The Franklin tree keeps a slow, cool-season rhythm. Start seed from late winter into early spring once it has had its spell of cold stratification, place young trees outdoors in spring after the last frost or through early fall, and look for flowers from late summer to 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 around them. Train your eye to separate rot from wilt from ordinary drought, because each calls for a different response. Match the signs below and move early, since this tree leaves little room to wait.
A sudden decline traced to blackened, failing roots
A tree that wilts, yellows, and drops branches for no clear reason is usually falling to Phytophthora root rot, the one problem that ends more Franklin trees than any other. It settles into soggy, packed, or clay ground that keeps water sitting against the roots, and a quick dig reveals dark, softened roots and a stained stem base. Once decline runs deep there is no bringing a tree back, so open up the drainage without delay, lift any survivors onto a raised mound of free-draining acidic soil, and remove and destroy the worst cases 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
Wilt appearing where drainage is clearly not the issue
If a Franklin tree flags even though the ground drains cleanly and stays evenly damp, the likely culprit is wilt disease, which presses hard on this species, or simple drought stress in a tree that has no patience for dry ground. Prune away the affected branches and bin them, then hold the soil at a steady moisture without ever letting it turn wet. Long term, the surest protection is a cool, moist, well-drained acidic setting kept clear of heat, drought, and pollution.
Fix:
- Remove and dispose of affected branches
- Maintain even soil moisture without waterlogging
- Avoid stressing the plant with drought, heat, or transplanting
Ragged, lace-worked foliage stripped between the veins
Foliage left tattered and lace-like across the season points to sawfly larvae working through the leaves. On a tree of this size, plucking them off by hand or blasting them free with a firm spray of water usually settles the matter. Keep any insecticide in reserve for a serious outbreak, and walk the tree often so you catch the larvae 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
For a household that shares its garden with animals, the Franklin tree brings welcome ease: it is not toxic. It appears on none of the lists of plants that poison cats or dogs, and that clean record extends to the other creatures around a garden. A pet that chews a leaf might feel a brief upset from the roughage, and nothing beyond that.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
No toxin lives in the Franklin tree, so a cat that samples a leaf has nothing to worry about. Should one work through a proper mouthful of any non-food greenery, a little drooling or a passing bout of stomach upset is the most to expect, and it clears on its own.
Dogs Safe
A dog can nose through the foliage without coming to harm, since the tree sits nowhere on the lists of plants that poison them. The worst a real binge might bring is some mild vomiting that soon passes.
Horses Safe
The leaves, bark, and flowers hold nothing toxic to horses, so a nibble taken in passing does no harm.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can graze the leaves in safety. As with any fresh green, offer just a little at the start so their digestion has time to settle to it.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep run no risk of poisoning from this tree, and an odd mouthful out in pasture leaves them untroubled.
Birds Safe
Birds meet no chemical hazard here, whether they rest among the branches or pick at the seed capsules.
People Safe
Not a single part of the Franklin tree is poisonous to people. It plays no role as a food, though, so there is no call 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 itself offers no garden cultivars, yet a hybrid and a handful of close relatives within the tea family are well worth knowing.
x Gordlinia grandiflora (Mountain Gordlinia)
Raised at NC State in 2002 from a cross between Franklinia and Gordonia, this semi-evergreen hybrid outpaces both parents in growth and opens larger blooms reaching 5 inches (13 cm) wide.
Gordonia lasianthus (Loblolly Bay)
An evergreen relative from the same tea family whose hardiness passed into the Gordlinia hybrid as its second parent.
Schima and Stewartia relatives
Schima and Stewartia stand among the Franklin tree's nearest relations in the tea family (Theaceae), with Schima, Gordonia, and Franklinia all set within the tribe Gordonieae.
How to propagate
Raising more Franklin trees calls for patience and a settled tolerance for failure. Seed is the dependable path, while cuttings stay a gamble worth taking only when you have plants to spare.
SeedModerate
Sow in late winter to spring after cold stratification · Several years to reach flowering size
Seed remains the classic way to bring on a Franklin tree, taken from the woody capsules much as every plant in cultivation descends from the Bartrams' first gathering. Chill the seed through a period of cold stratification, then sow across the stretch from late winter into spring. Settle in for the wait, since a seedling takes several years to reach flowering size.
Stem cuttingsDemanding
Softwood cuttings in summer · Slow and challenging to root
There is also the option of softwood cuttings taken in summer, though success comes at a low rate. They root slowly and grudgingly, and the tree resists establishing by any route, so count on losing several attempts before one holds.
Myths
Wild Franklin trees still linger along Georgia's Altamaha River.
No wild plant has stood along that river since the early 1800s, and every search since has come back empty-handed. Each Franklin tree in gardens today descends from the seed the Bartrams gathered before the species slipped away from the only place it ever grew.
A rare, coveted ornamental like this surely settles happily into any garden.
Scarcity is no measure of how easygoing a plant will be, and this one has a hard-won reputation for being difficult. Root rot takes it swiftly, and it refuses clay, wet feet, drought, heat, and pollution alike. Offer it cool, moist, sharply drained acidic soil, or plan to lose it.