Botany Photo of the Day will have brief written entries on weekends, holidays and my vacations from April through September. – Daniel
Today's photograph is courtesy of Lotus J. aka ngawangchodron@Flickr (original via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool). Appreciated, as always.
The generic name of California flannelbush, Fremontodendron, is named for John C. Frémont, an American military officer, botanist and explorer. His accomplishments included naming the Great Basin and being the first Republican candidate for the office of President. He seems to have been quite the character. Under the meaning of fremontii (you'll need to scroll down), Michael Charters quotes a line from an LA times review of a biography: “He turned golden promise into the dross of failure”.
California flannelbush is native to California and Arizona.
One of my favorite little things about this plant is that it's all over the hillside to the south of the Dumbarton Bridge toll plaza, as folks enter Fremont, California, from the west. I always wave at it: "Hi, Fremontodendron!"
Fremontodendron californicum - Z8-10 - A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, Brickell, Cole, Zuk
My son graduated from high school yesterday, and the founder of his school, as is traditional, gives each graduate a (very young) California native tree to plant. There was a selection of five or six different kinds, and my son chose a Fremontodendron, about which we knew nothing except its common and Latin name. You must have heard us talking about it!