Franklinia Alatamaha Commemorative Stamp

This 6-cent stamp was issued August 23, 1969 in Seattle, Washington as part of a set of four stamps showing famous plants associated with the four regions of the country. First day of issue were ceremonies were held in conjunction with the opening of the 11th International Botanical Congress in Seattle.

The plant chosen to represent the South was the Franklinia alatamaha, a small flowering tree discovered by John and William Bartram in 1765 close to the mouth of Georgia's Altamaha River near Darien. [In those days, the Altamaha was sometimes misspelled as "Alatamaha" -- hence the name chosen by the Bartrams.] The Bartrams carried some of the plants and seeds back to Philadelphia, where they named it Franklinia altamaha in honor of their friend Benjamin Franklin and the Georgia river where it was discovered. Fortunately, the Bartrams propagated the plant, for when they returned to Georgia after the American Revolution, they could find no surviving examples. Indeed, the Franklinia has long been extinct in the wild, and all Franklinias today trace from the plants and seeds taken from Georgia in 1765.

Bartram's drawing of the Franklinia

Franklinia Story from Bartam's Gardens web site

Lost Franklinia (includes photos)

Plants Profile Franklinia Page (USDA)

Franklin Tree Fact Sheet (with photos, Virginia Tech)

(c) Cartl Vinson Institute of Government, The University of Georgia

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