In the autumn of 1765 the botanist John Bar- 
tram stood on the banks of the Alatamaha River 
in Georgia; he was waiting for a boat to ferry 
him to an Indian trading post on the far shore. 
Ever alert for new specimens his attention was 
suddenly fixed by a small spreading tree with 
foliage of dark shining green. This was the Gor- 
donia alatamaha, or Franklin Tree, from which 
are descended all plants now in existence. The 
last wild specimen was seen in 1790. 
His son William wrote of it: 
"We never saw it grow in any other 
place, nor have I since seen it growing 
wild in all my travels. ... It is a flower¬ 
ing tree of first order for beauty and fra¬ 
grance of blossom; the tree grows fif¬ 
teen or twenty feet high, branching 
alternately; . . . the flowers are very 
large, expand themselves perfectly, are 
of a snow-white colour, and ornamented 
with a crown or tassal of gold-coloured 
refulgent staminae in their centre ..." 
In the vicinity of Philadelphia the Gordonia 
blooms from late July until the first frosts, when 
its leaves turn a warm red-orange; it is thus a 
strikingly ornamental tree at any season. The 
Cheltenham Nurseries offer to the discriminating 
gardening public healthy plants suitable for spring 
planting. 
