Fremontodendron
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Fremontodendron'', with the common names fremontia and flannelbush or flannel bush, is a
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of three known species of
shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...
s
native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...
to the
Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...
and northwest Mexico.


Taxonomy

They are within the botanical
family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Malvaceae Malvaceae (), or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include Theobroma cacao, cacao, Cola (plant), cola, cotton, okra, Hibiscus sabdariffa, ...
. Formerly they were treated within the
Sterculiaceae Sterculiaceae was a family of flowering plant based on the genus '' Sterculia''. Genera formerly included in Sterculiaceae are now placed in the family Malvaceae, in the subfamilies: Byttnerioideae, Dombeyoideae, Helicteroideae and Sterculioide ...
, tribe Fremontodendreae, together with the genus ''
Chiranthodendron ''Chiranthodendron'' is a flowering plant genus in the family Malvaceae. It comprises a single species of tree, ''Chiranthodendron pentadactylon''. Names The tree is called the devil's, monkey's or Mexican hand tree or the hand-flower in English ...
''. The genus ''Fremontodendron'' was named in dedication to
John C. Frémont Major general (United States), Major-General John Charles Frémont (January 21, 1813July 13, 1890) was a United States Army officer, explorer, and politician. He was a United States senator from California and was the first History of the Repub ...
, who first collected it during an 1846 expedition to
Alta California Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...
.


Description

The
leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...
have a leathery and fuzzy texture reminiscent of
flannel Flannel is a soft woven fabric, of varying fineness. Flannel was originally made from carded wool or worsted yarn, but is now often made from either wool, cotton, or synthetic fiber. Flannel is commonly used to make tartan clothing, blankets, ...
(hence the name), and the yellow to orange
flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...
s are large and showy. The leaves and young shoots can cause skin and eye irritation.


Species

There are three species: * ''
Fremontodendron californicum ''Fremontodendron californicum'', with the common names California flannelbush, California fremontia, and flannel bush, is a flowering shrub native to diverse habitats in southwestern North America. Description The plant is a flowering evergreen ...
'' — Californian flannelbush * '' Fremontodendron decumbens'' (R. Lloyd) — Pine Hill flannelbush :: A decumbent and low spreading form, in height and in width, has yellow-orange flowers, and is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the
Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...
foothills, nearly all of the individuals of this subspecies are found in the
Pine Hill Ecological Reserve Pine Hill Ecological Reserve is Protected area, a nature reserve of located due east of Folsom Lake in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada foothills, in El Dorado County, California. The reserve was established in 1979, and is managed by th ...
in
El Dorado County El Dorado County (; ''El Dorado'', Spanish language, Spanish for "The Golden ne), officially the County of El Dorado, is a List of counties in California, county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, ...
. In nature it only grows in metal-rich
gabbro Gabbro ( ) is a phaneritic (coarse-grained and magnesium- and iron-rich), mafic intrusive igneous rock formed from the slow cooling magma into a holocrystalline mass deep beneath the Earth's surface. Slow-cooling, coarse-grained gabbro is ch ...
soil, a red weathered soil of volcanic origin. It requires fire for seed germination, but with the nature reserve is near human settlements
fire ecology Fire ecology is a scientific discipline concerned with the effects of fire on natural ecosystems. Many ecosystems, particularly prairie, savanna, chaparral and coniferous forests, have evolved with fire as an essential contributor to habitat vit ...
is suppressed. It is a federally listed
endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
. * '' Fremontodendron mexicanum'' — Mexican flannelbush ::
Endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the central
Peninsular Ranges The Peninsular Ranges (also called the Lower California province) are a group of mountain ranges that stretch from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Pacific Coast Range ...
, known from about ten occurrences in northern
Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
state and adjacent southern
San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its border with Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634; it is the second-most populous ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. However, it has most recently been confirmed to exist in only two of those locales currently.California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile
/ref> There are a number of populations of uncertain taxonomy status. They include: *''Fremontodendron californicum'' ssp. ''napensis'' — Napa fremontia ::The current Jepson manual does not recognize this subspecies, using ''Fremontodendron californicum'', but the form is different enough that it is horticulturally recognized by this name. It is typically smaller and more open in form than the species, with much smaller leaves and flowers. It grows in height and in width.


Cultivation

''Fremontodendrons'' are cultivated as
ornamental plants Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...
. They are valued for their bright yellow flowers, produced over a long period on a rapidly growing shrub or small tree. They are tolerant of pruning for size or shaping. They are adapted to dry, poor soils in a summer-dry, warm, sunny climate. They may succumb to root rot in heavy clay soils and/or summer irrigation. The three species and varied hybrids/cultivars are used in
native plant In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equi ...
, water-conserving, and
wildlife garden A wildlife garden (or habitat garden or backyard restoration) is an Biophysical environment, environment created with the purpose to serve as a sustainable haven for surrounding wildlife. Wildlife gardens contain a variety of habitats that cater t ...
s in
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. They are also planted in gardens in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
.


Hybrids

There are several named hybrids of ''
Fremontodendron californicum ''Fremontodendron californicum'', with the common names California flannelbush, California fremontia, and flannel bush, is a flowering shrub native to diverse habitats in southwestern North America. Description The plant is a flowering evergreen ...
'' and '' Fremontodendron mexicanum'' in the horticultural trade, they include: *''Fremontodendron'' 'California Glory' — lemon-yellow flowers with a reddish tinge, grows in height by in width. It is the winner of the Award of Garden Merit from the California Horticultural Society in 1965, and received a First Class Certificate from the
Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...
in 1967. *''Fremontodendron'' 'Ken Taylor' — golden flowers with a darker orange outside petals in the spring and summer, and grows to only in height by in width. *''Fremontodendron'' 'Dara's Gold' — golden flowers over a long period from late winter through early summer, grows in height by in width. A hybrid between ''Fremontodendron decumbens'' and ''Fremontodendron mexicanum''.San Marcos Growers: Fremontodendron 'Dara's Gold'
/ref>


References


External links


CalFlora Database: Species of genus ''Fremontodendron''Malvaceae.info: Fremontodendreae webpages (''Fremontodendron'' and ''Chiranthodendron'')
— ''in the
Pine Hill Ecological Reserve Pine Hill Ecological Reserve is Protected area, a nature reserve of located due east of Folsom Lake in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada foothills, in El Dorado County, California. The reserve was established in 1979, and is managed by th ...
'' {{Authority control Bombacoideae Flora of California Flora of Baja California Flora of the Southwestern United States Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands John C. Frémont Malvaceae genera Garden plants of North America Drought-tolerant plants Shrubs