1882. 
Botany. 
235 
From the American Naturalist, March, 1882.) 
GENERAL NOTES. 
Gordonia pubescens L'Her (Franklinia altamaha Mar- 
shall).—This tree, so far as I can learn from the records, has not 
been found in the uncultivated state since 1790, when Dr. Moses 
Marshall saw it near Fort Barrington, on the Altamaha river, in 
Georgia.2 It was first discovered by John Bartram in the course 
of his travels (as botanist to the king) through the Carolinas, 
Georgia and Florida in 1765. His son William, then only a lad, 
*See his letter to Sir Joseph Banks, p. 563, in Darlington’s “ Memorials of Bartram 
and Marshall.” 
BOTANY. 236 
General Notes. 
[March, 
accompanied his father in his travels. Afterwards, in 1773, Wil- 
liam Bartram undertook, in the interests of Dr. Fothergill, of 
London, a journey through the same region. His book of travels 
was published in London in 1794. He states that he found it as 
he journeyed southwards in the summer of’73 near Fort Barring- 
ton, where he had seen it ten or twelve years previously as he 
traveled with his father. After concluding his travels, which ex- 
tended as far west as the Mississippi, and occupied several years, 
he returned to Fort Barrington fn the autumn of 1778, to collect 
and send off seeds, roots, etc., of such plants as he had seen in his 
way. He there found it again in mature fruit, and states that he 
saw “two to three acres covered with the tree.” The seeds col- 
lected by the Bartrams were distributed in this country and in 
Europe, and the trees growing from these seeds are all that we 
have left of the original discovery a hundred years ago. 
In March last I was requested by Professor C. S. Sargeant, who 
is in charge of the P'orestry Department of the Tenth Census 
work, and also agent for the American Museum of Natural I listory 
in New York, to make an effort to rediscover the long lost tree, 
wood specimens of which were wanted to complete the series of 
forest trees of the United States for the Government, and also 
for the museum ; to investigate its habits in the wiki state, and to 
learn more of its geographical range. For that purpose I made a 
visit to Darien about the middle ofMarch. At that time my only 
guide to the locality was the simple reference in our botanical 
books—“ found at Fort Barrington, on the Altamaha.” I supposed 
at first it was to be sought for in the river swamp, but on consulting 
Bartram’s Travels and learning more of the topography of the 
country I became convinced that it was not in the river swamp, 
it was to be looked for but in the flats and pine land branches. 
Barrington stands on the north side of the Altamaha and about 
16 miles from Darien, where the river has bluffs on its northern 
banks, thus throwing the whole swamp on the south side. The road 
from Darien,the same as it was a hundred years ago, passes mostly 
through damp, flat pine woods, until within about three miles of 
the fort, where commences a succession of dry and rolling sand 
hills, which extend up to the river. The site of the old fort is still 
to be seen, with its ditches and embankments marking the outlines. 
It retains the old name, and is now known as one of the ferry 
crossings of the Altamaha river. 
I went up Darien in company with a friend, traveling the 
same old road which the Bartrams and Marshall had used. We 
made diligent search on the way, but could not find it. This sea- 
son of the year was unfavorable for the search for an unknown 
tree, as leaves, flowers and fruit had all disappeared. During the 
summer my friend, who has good knowledge of the flora of that 
region, went up three times—in June, July and September— 
making careful examinations along the road and the flats and 1882. 
Botany. 
237 
branches near by, but failed to find it. He saw an abundance of 
G. lasianthus and Pinckneya pubens in bloom, but the object of 
our search could not be found. I made a recent visit to Darien 
in November. We went together again, making the fifth visit to 
the supposed locality. The following paragraph from William 
Bartram’s account of his discovery of this tree furnishes the clue 
by which I was guided in my search. After detailing the events 
of his journey southward from Philadelphia to Darien he says : 
“ I set off early in the morning (from Darien) for the Indian trading 
house on the river St. Mary, and took the road up the north-east 
side of the Altamaha. I passed through a well-inhabited district, 
mostly rice plantations on the waters of Cat Head creek, a branch 
of the Altamaha. On drawing near the fort I was delighted at 
the appearance of two beautiful shrubs in all their blooming graces. 
One of them appeared to be a species of Gordonia, but the flowers 
are ledger and more fragrant than those of the Gordonia lasian- 
thus. u 
Nov; this paragraph gives a clue to the situation, ist. As he 
journeyed from Darien, it was, of necessity, on the north side of the 
river; 2d. “As I drew near to the fort.” This is ambiguous,and 
may mean a few hundred yards, or even two or three miles, in a 
ride of 16 miles; 3d. The tree was evidently;;; sight from the 
road, and probably not far off, so as to be readily seen by any one 
passing that way ; 4th. It was growing in company with another 
showy, flowering shrub. This other flowering shrub was most 
probably Pinckneya pubens (which was finely in bloom in June 
and July when my friend went up). The only other showy, flow- 
ering shrub which I saw in that region was G. lasianthus, and as. 
Bartram knew that very well, the probability of its being Pinck- 
neya is increased. 
Now about two miles from the fort, and just at the commence- 
ment of the sandhills, the road passes between two pine land 
branches within 40 or 50 yards on either side, spreading out into 
flats which approach almost up to the road. Here was an abun- 
dance of Pinckneya on both sides, in fact the principal growth, 
and also the only specimens seen from the road between Darien and 
the fort. I suppose, at a rough estimate, there may have been “ two 
or three acres covered with the tree,” as H'f"Bartram states. They 
are so near the road, and so conspicuous when in bloom, as to 
arrest anyone’s attention, and especially one who was looking out 
for new plants. All the indications seemed to p©mt to the spot 
as the one where the Franklinia was discovered. If, as I suppose, 
Pinckneya was the accompanying shrub, it reduces it almost to a 
certainty, as we saw Pinckneya nowhere else on the route. We 
stopped here, and my friend and I made a close and exhaustive 
search on both sides of the road. We saw plenty of G. lasian- 
thus, and I gathered seed vessels of Pinckneya, but Franklinia 
was not to be seen. After satisfying ourselves that it was not General Notes. 
March, 
238 
there we rode on towards the fort, and then returned from the fifth 
unsuccessful search. 
Whilst in Darien I met Mr. Cowper, a son of Hon. J. Hamilton 
Cowper, who was well known some forty years ago among scientific 
men for his culture and refined hospitality, and for the great inter- 
est he took in the natural sciences. Mr. Cowper informed me 
that his father had collected in his grounds all the trees and shrubs 
indigenous to that section of the country, but did not have Gordo- 
nia pubescens among them; that he himself had been hunting for 
it for several years past, having been up frequently to Harrington 
looking both in the river swamp, on the south side, and in the 
woods and branches on the north side. I also heard whilst there 
that a collector of seeds from some Northern house had come on 
from Florida to hunt for the Gordonia near Harrington, and that 
he was also unsuccessful. 
What are we to think of all this ? The two Bartrams and Moses 
Marshall saw it ioo years ago, without any doubt, for the trees 
growing from the seeds which they distributed give conclusive 
proof of its existence at that time, and in considerable quantity, 
in that locality. Since then it has been lost, even to the people 
of that region, and, as far as I can learn, has never been seen else- 
where. Was it confined to that single locality, and has it become 
extinct ? This supposition is scarcely admissible without very 
strong proof. I confess I am at a loss for any explanation of its 
disappearance. I have thus given a minute and detailed account 
of my unsuccessful efforts, in the hope that it may assist any future 
explorer to solve the mystery of, Franklinia altamaha.—H. W. 
Ravenel, Aiken, .S'. C., Jan. 6, 1882.