ArborNote’s Tree of the Week is the Franklin Tree (Franklinia alatamaha). This tree is native to the Altamaha River valley in Georgia in the southeastern United States. However, it is completely extinct in the wild. Every single Franklin tree alive today is a descendant of seeds collected by botanists John & William Bartram in Georgia back in the 1700s! It blooms from August through September. Because its glossy green leaves start turning a fiery, brilliant scarlet at the exact same time, the tree gets a rare, breathtaking combination of snow-white blossoms nestled directly inside blazing red fall foliage. John Bartram was a close personal friend of Benjamin Franklin. When William Bartram officially described and classified the unique tree, he named the entire genus Franklinia in honor of the famous statesman and scientist. The species name, alatamaha, was the historical spelling of the Georgia river where they discovered it!