SCIENTIFIC NAME: Franklinia alatamaha

COMMON NAME: Franklin tree

LEAVES: Alternate. Obovate. Long cuneate base. Very short petiole. Good red fall color. Up to 6" in length.

FLOWERS: White and up to 3" in diameter. Showy in summer.

OTHER: Requires moist acid soil. Does not tolerate wet feet. Discovered by John Bartram in Georgia around 1770. Bartram collected seed and carried them back to his home in Philadelphia, PA and this is where all existing plants came from since it has never been found in the wild since then. It is thought that a flood subsequent to Bartram's finding wiped out the last trees in the wild. Named after Bartram's good friend Ben Franklin. Small tree up to 25' in height.