Fremontodendron


Fremontodendron, with the common names fremontia and flannelbush or flannel bush, is a genus of three known species of shrubs native to the Southwestern United States and northwest Mexico.

Taxonomy

They are within the botanical family Malvaceae. Formerly they were treated within the Sterculiaceae, tribe Fremontodendreae, together with the genus Chiranthodendron. The genus Fremontodendron was named in dedication to John C. Frémont, who first collected it during an 1846 expedition to Alta California.

Description

The leaves have a leathery and fuzzy texture reminiscent of flannel, and the yellow to orange flowers are large and showy. The leaves and young shoots can cause skin and eye irritation.

Species

Two species are accepted:
  • Fremontodendron californicum — Californian flannelbush
  • * Fremontodendron californicum subsp. californicum
  • * Fremontodendron californicum subsp. decumbens — Pine Hill flannelbush
  • Fremontodendron mexicanum — Mexican flannelbush
There are a number of populations of uncertain taxonomy status. They include:
  • Fremontodendron californicum subsp. napensis — Napa fremontia

    Cultivation

Fremontodendrons are cultivated as ornamental plants. 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, water-conserving, and wildlife gardens in California. They are also planted in gardens in England.

Hybrids

There are several named hybrids of Fremontodendron californicum 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 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.