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''Franklinia'' is a monotypic genus in the tea plant family, Theaceae. The sole species in this genus is a flowering tree, ''Franklinia alatamaha'', commonly called 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. In the past, some botanists have included ''Franklinia'' within the related genus ''Gordonia''. The southeastern North American species ''Gordonia lasianthus'' differs in having evergreen foliage, flowers with longer stems, winged seeds, and conical seed capsules. (''Franklinia'' was often known as ''Gordonia pubescens'' until the middle of the 20th century.) ''Franklinia'' is now thought to be closer in relation to the Asian genus ''Schima''. Recent DNA studies and examinations of floral ontogeny in the Theaceae place ''Franklinia'' together with ''Gordonia'' and ''Schima'' in a subtribe.〔Tsou, Chih-Hua. 1998. "Early Floral Development of Camellioideae (Theaceae)," American Journal of Botany, 85(11), p. 1531-1547.〕 Hybrid crosses have been produced between ''Franklinia alatamaha'' and ''Gordonia lasianthus'', and between ''Franklinia alatamaha'' and ''Schima argentea''.〔Orton, Elwin R., Jr. 1977. "Successful Hybridization of Gordonia lasianthus (L.) Ellis x Franklinia alatamaha Marshall," American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta, vol. 11, no. 4 (October), p. 81-84.〕〔Ranney, Thomas G. and Thomas A. Eaker, Paul R. Frantz, Clifford R. Parks. 2003 "xSchimlinia floridbunda (Theaceae): A New Intergeneric Hybrid between Franklinia alatamaha and Schima argentea," HortScience, vol. 38(6), October, p. 1198-1200.〕 ==Description== ''Franklinia alatamaha'' is a deciduous large shrub or small tree growing to tall, but commonly . It is commercially available for garden cultivation. It is prized for its fragrant white flowers, similar to ''Camellia'' blossoms; the smell may remind some of honeysuckle. The tree has a symmetrical, somewhat pyramidal shape, with different individuals of the species forming almost identical crowns. It forms several vertical trunks close to ground level. The bark is gray with vertical white striations and has a ridged texture. The alternate, obovate leaves are up to in length and turn a bright orange-red in the fall. Although difficult to transplant, once established, ''F. alatamaha'' can live a century or more. ''Franklinia alatamaha'' fruit develop slowly. The seed capsules require 12–14 months to mature. When ripe the pentavalved spherical capsules split above and below in a unique manner. Anecdotal evidence suggests viable seed production is enhanced where two or more plants are present in close proximity. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Franklinia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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