Tree · Theaceae
Franklin Tree
Franklinia alatamaha
Even though this tree disappeared from its wild home back in the early 1800s, it still rewards you with late-summer blooms and fiery autumn leaves.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
USDA 5–8
10–25 ft · 3–7.6 m
Overview
Few trees carry a story like the Franklin tree, a small flowering member of the tea family that no longer grows anywhere in the wild. Along Georgia's Altamaha River in the 1760s, John and William Bartram came upon it and brought seed home, and that one gathering is the parent of every Franklinia growing today. The wild trees were gone for good by the early 1800s.
Its gift to a garden comes at the tail end of the year, when the display arrives. Cup-shaped white flowers centered on a burst of gold stamens open from late summer into early fall, often against leaves that have already flushed deep red and orange. The tree keeps a friendly scale, growing to 10 to 25 feet (3 to 7.6 m) as a slow single trunk or a multi-stemmed small tree.
None of this comes without effort, and that's worth knowing before you start. The Franklin tree is demanding to grow, particular about drainage, and prone to root rot in the wrong ground. Set it in cool, moist, sharply drained acidic soil, keep it away from clay and heat, and you have a real shot at one of the most special trees a garden can hold.
Care
The short version: full sun to part shade in rich, acidic, sharply drained soil that never sits wet. Hold the soil evenly moist, shield the tree from heat, drought, and clay, and above all keep root rot away, and it will reward your care.
Light
Aim to give your Franklin tree full sun to partial shade, and it will thank you. Strong light draws out the best flowers and color, while a touch of shade during the fiercest hours of the day helps it stay comfortable where summers turn warm.
Water
The heart of caring for this tree is keeping the soil consistently moist but never waterlogged. It has no tolerance for drought or for wet feet, so water it through dry stretches while making sure the ground drains with ease. Waterlogged soil is what opens the door to the root rot that takes most Franklin trees, so lean toward damp, not soggy.
Soil
Plant your tree in organically rich, well-drained, acidic sandy loam sitting between a pH of 4.5 to 6.0. Free drainage counts every bit as much as fertility, so blend in plenty of organic matter and give heavy clay a wide berth.
Temperature
Happily, this tree takes a broad range of temperatures, from roughly -20°F to 95°F (-29°C to 35°C), which places it in USDA zones 5 through 8. Long spells of heat aren't to its liking, so the cooler side of that range is where it shines.
Humidity
Everyday outdoor humidity suits it just fine, with no target number to chase. Good drainage and gentle airflow do far more for its health than any moisture in the air.
Feeding
Offer a feeding in spring using an acidic, slow-release fertilizer meant for acid-loving plants. A single seasonal feed does the job nicely, and choosing a fertilizer that honors its taste for acid soil keeps it growing along steadily.
Pruning
You'll be glad to hear the Franklin tree wants very little pruning. Clear out any dead, damaged, or crossing branches in late winter, and use that same window to shape it if you're guiding it toward a single-trunk form.
Repotting
A tree in open ground never needs repotting, and even a potted one is rarely moved up a size. When roots start circling the pot, poke out through the drainage holes, or water rushes straight through, your container tree is quietly telling you it has outgrown its home.
Size & spacing
Look forward to 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 space to shine on its own as a specimen, where those late flowers and that fall color can draw every bit of the admiration they earn.
When to plant
This tree keeps a slow, cool-season rhythm that's easy to follow. Sow seed in late winter to early spring once it has had its cold stratification, move young trees outdoors in spring after the last frost or during early fall, and look forward to flowers from late summer up 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 setback with a Franklin tree comes down to its roots and the water they sit in, and the good news is that most trouble is recoverable if you catch it. Learn to read rot apart from wilt apart from ordinary drought, since each one calls for a different response. Match what you notice below and step in early, and you'll give your tree its best chance.
Fast wilt and dying branches over blackened roots
If your tree wilts fast, yellows, and starts losing branches, the likely culprit is Phytophthora root rot, and it remains the leading cause of death for this species. It settles into soggy, compacted, or clay ground where water lingers around the roots, and a quick dig will reveal dark, soft roots and a stem base that has lost its color. A tree that is too far gone cannot be brought back, so the kindest thing you can do for the rest is fix the drainage right away, lift any survivors onto a raised mound of free-draining acidic soil, and remove the worst cases so the trouble stops spreading.
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
Drooping foliage even though roots sit in well-drained soil
Sometimes a tree droops and drops branches even though the ground drains well and stays nicely damp, and that points to either wilt disease, which this species is prone to, or simple drought stress, since it has no patience for dry soil. Take heart, because the response is gentle and doable: trim off the affected branches and dispose of them, then keep the soil evenly moist without ever letting it turn wet. Your best insurance is a cool, moist, well-drained acidic home that spares the tree from heat, dryness, and pollution.
Fix:
- Remove and dispose of affected branches
- Maintain even soil moisture without waterlogging
- Avoid stressing the plant with drought, heat, or transplanting
Nibbled, notched leaves grazed back to the veins
Leaves that look ragged, notched, or eaten down to the veins usually mean sawfly larvae are grazing through the growing months, and this one is easy to handle. On a young tree you can simply pluck them off with your fingers or rinse them away with a firm blast from the hose. Keep any insecticide in reserve for a real flare-up, and glance over the leaves often so you meet the larvae early, while there are still just a few.
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
Here's reassuring news if you share your home with animals: the Franklin tree is not toxic. You won't find it on the lists of plants that poison cats or dogs, and the same holds for the other creatures who wander a garden. A pet that chews a leaf might feel a brief bit of stomach upset from the roughage, and nothing worse than that.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
You can relax if a curious cat samples a leaf, because this tree holds no known toxins. The worst a big mouthful of any non-food plant tends to do is bring on a bit of drooling or a passing tummy upset that settles on its own.
Dogs Safe
A dog can nibble the foliage without coming to harm, since the tree isn't on the lists of plants that poison them. Even after a proper feast, the most you might see is a little mild vomiting that clears up quickly.
Horses Safe
The leaves, bark, and flowers carry nothing toxic to horses, so a grazing nibble in passing is perfectly fine.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits are welcome to browse the leaves safely. Just offer a small taste at first, as you would with any new green, so their digestion has time to settle into it.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep have no poisoning to fear from this tree, and a stray mouthful out in the pasture won't bother them at all.
Birds Safe
There's no chemical danger to birds here, whether they rest among the branches or peck at the seed capsules.
People Safe
No part of the Franklin tree is poisonous to people, so you needn't worry over a stray leaf. It isn't a food plant, though, so there's simply no reason 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 has no garden cultivars, yet a hybrid and a couple of close relatives in the tea family are lovely to get to know.
x Gordlinia grandiflora (Mountain Gordlinia)
Created at NC State in 2002 by pairing Franklinia with Gordonia, this semi-evergreen hybrid outpaces both parents in speed and opens larger blooms reaching 5 inches (13 cm) across.
Gordonia lasianthus (Loblolly Bay)
An evergreen cousin from the same tea family whose hardiness passed into the Gordlinia hybrid as one of its parents.
Schima and Stewartia relatives
Schima and Stewartia fill out the wider circle of Franklin tree kin in the tea family (Theaceae), with Schima, Gordonia, and Franklinia sharing a place together in the tribe Gordonieae.
How to propagate
Making more Franklin trees rewards patience and a forgiving spirit toward the odd failure. Seed is the dependable path, while cuttings are a gamble best saved for when you have plants to spare.
SeedModerate
Sow in late winter to spring after cold stratification · Several years to reach flowering size
Growing from seed is the time-honored way to raise this tree, taken from the woody capsules much as every cultivated Franklinia descends from the Bartrams' original find. Chill the seed through a period of cold stratification first, then sow it from late winter on into spring. Kindly plan for a long wait, since a young seedling needs several years before it grows to flowering size.
Stem cuttingsDemanding
Softwood cuttings in summer · Slow and challenging to root
If you'd like to try another route, softwood cuttings taken in summer are worth an attempt, though few of them take hold. They root slowly and reluctantly, and this species resists settling in by any method, so don't be discouraged if several fail before one finally roots.
Myths
Wild Franklin trees can still be found beside Georgia's Altamaha River.
Not one wild plant has surfaced despite many searches, and the tree has been absent from the wild since the early 1800s. Every Franklin tree alive today traces back to seed the Bartrams collected before the species disappeared from the only place it ever grew.
Surely something this rare and prized stays easy enough to grow in any plot.
Being rare tells you nothing about being easy, and this tree has a well-earned name for being tricky. Root rot claims it quickly, and it refuses clay, wet feet, drought, heat, and pollution alike. Give it cool, moist, sharply drained acidic soil or expect to lose it.