Franklinia is a monotypic genus in the tea family, Theaceae. The sole species in this genus is a flowering tree, Franklinia alatamaha, commonly called Franklinias or the Franklin tree, and native to the Altamaha River valley in Georgia in the southeastern United States. It has been extinct in the wild since the early 19th century, but survives as a cultivated ornamental tree.
• Discovery: Discovered in October 1765 along the Altamaha River in southeastern Georgia by American botanists John Bartram and his son William Bartram.
• Naming: Named by William Bartram in honor of his close friend, Benjamin Franklin.
• Wild Extinction: Last seen in the wild around 1803; all existing specimens worldwide descend entirely from the seeds collected and cultivated by the Bartrams in Philadelphia.
Key Characteristics
• Size: Grows 10 to 20 feet tall and 6 to 15 feet wide as a single-trunk tree or multi-stemmed shrub.
• Discovery: Discovered in October 1765 along the Altamaha River in southeastern Georgia by American botanists John Bartram and his son William Bartram.
• Naming: Named by William Bartram in honor of his close friend, Benjamin Franklin.
• Wild Extinction: Last seen in the wild around 1803; all existing specimens worldwide descend entirely from the seeds collected and cultivated by the Bartrams in Philadelphia.
Key Characteristics
• Size: Grows 10 to 20 feet tall and 6 to 15 feet wide as a single-trunk tree or multi-stemmed shrub.
• Flowers: Fragrant, cup-shaped, camellia-like white flowers (3 inches across) with prominent egg-yolk yellow stamens bloom from late summer through the first frost.
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