Franklinia
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| Franklinia alatamaha Bartram ex Marshall |
Franklinia is a monotypic genus in the family Theaceae, previously native to only the single valley of the Altamaha River in Georgia in the southeastern United States. It is now extinct in the wild due to a fungal disease imported when infected cotton plants were grown in the area. However, seeds were collected and grown in cultivation by John & William Bartram before this happened, and these cultivated plants have saved the species from complete extinction.
The species, Franklinia alatamaha, is a deciduous large shrub or small tree growing to 10 m tall. It is commercially available for garden cultivation. It is prized for its white flowers that appear in the late summer or early fall.
Some botanists include Franklinia within the closely related genus Gordonia; the species of Gordonia differ in having evergreen foliage and flowers with longer stems.
[edit] References and external links
- World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1998). Franklinia alatamaha. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006.
- Bartram's Garden: Franklinia
