Fremontodendron

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,{{ cite web |url=http://www.calflora.net/botanicalnames/pageF.html |title=Botanical Names: F |author=Michael L. Charters |work=California Plant Names: Latin and Greek Meanings and Derivations |location=Sierra Madre, CA |access-date=September 24, 2009}} who first collected it during an 1846 expedition to Alta California.

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

File:Fremontodendron californicum, Jardín Botánico de Múnich, Alemania, 2013-05-04, DD 01.jpg — Californian flannelbush.]]

File:Fremontodendron californicum2.jpg

There are three species:

• Fremontodendron californicum — Californian flannelbush
• Fremontodendron decumbens (R. Lloyd) — Pine Hill flannelbush [http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Fremontodendron+decumbens Calflora: Fremontodendron decumbens] . accessed 2.28.2015[http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=FRDE2 USDA Plants Profile for Fremontodendron decumbens (Pine Hill flannelbush)] . accessed 2.28.2015[http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=26128 Jepson eFlora: Fremontodendron decumbens] . accessed 2.28.2015

:: A decumbent and low spreading form, {{convert|3|ft|m}} in height and {{convert|6|ft|m}} in width, has yellow-orange flowers, and is endemic to the Sierra Nevada foothills, nearly all of the individuals of this subspecies are found in the Pine Hill Ecological Reserve in El Dorado County. In nature it only grows in metal-rich gabbro 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 is suppressed. It is a federally listed endangered species.

• Fremontodendron mexicanum — Mexican flannelbush

::Endemic to the central Peninsular Ranges, known from about ten occurrences in northern Baja California state and adjacent southern San Diego County, California. However, it has most recently been confirmed to exist in only two of those locales currently.[http://cnps.web.aplus.net/cgi-bin/inv/inventory.cgi/Go?_id=fremontodendron_mexicanum&sort=DEFAULT&search=Fremontodendron%20mexicanum California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile]

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 {{convert|6|-|15|ft|m}} in height and {{convert|4|-|12|ft|m}} in width.[http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Fremontodendron_californica_ssp._napense Theodore Payne Foundation, California Natives Wiki: Fremontodendron californica ssp. napense (Napa Fremontia)]

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.

File:Fremontodendron California Glory 3.jpg

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 {{convert|20|ft|m}} in height by {{convert|20|ft|m}} 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.{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/96406/Fremontodendron-California-Glory/Details | title = Fremontodendron 'California Glory' | publisher = RHS | access-date = 5 July 2020}}[http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=655 San Marcos Growers: Fremontodendron 'California Glory']
• Fremontodendron 'Ken Taylor' — golden flowers with a darker orange outside petals in the spring and summer, and grows to only {{convert|5|ft|m}} in height by {{convert|8|-|10|ft|m}} in width.[http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=656 San Marcos Growers: Fremontodendron 'Ken Taylor']
• Fremontodendron 'Dara's Gold' — golden flowers over a long period from late winter through early summer, grows {{convert|3|ft|m}} in height by {{convert|6|-|8|ft|m}} in width. A hybrid between Fremontodendron decumbens and Fremontodendron mexicanum.[http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=2518 San Marcos Growers: Fremontodendron 'Dara's Gold']

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• [http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/specieslist.cgi?where-genus=Fremontodendron CalFlora Database: Species of genus Fremontodendron]
• [http://www.malvaceae.info/Genera/Fremontodendreae/Fremontodendreae.php Malvaceae.info: Fremontodendreae webpages (Fremontodendron and Chiranthodendron)]
• [http://www.pinehillpreserve.org/rare_plants/species/Pine_Hill_flannelbush.htm Pinehillpreserve.org: Pine Hill Flannelbush (Fremontodendron decumbens)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625034915/http://www.pinehillpreserve.org/rare_plants/species/Pine_Hill_flannelbush.htm |date=2013-06-25 }} — in the Pine Hill Ecological Reserve

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Category:Bombacoideae

Category:Flora of California

Category:Flora of Baja California

Category:Flora of the Southwestern United States

Category:Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands

Category:John C. Frémont

Category:Malvaceae genera

Category:Garden plants of North America

Category:Drought-tolerant plants

Category:Shrubs