Always rare and last seen in the wild in 1803, the Franklin Tree (Franklinia alatamaha) was discovered along the banks of Georgia's Altamaha river by George and William Bartram in October 1765. William Bartram named the tree in honor of Benjamin Franklin, a contemporary and close friend of his father. All specimens of this tree that exist today are descendants of the samples collected by the Bartrams. retired EiU professor Dr. Wesley Whiteside has for many years successfully cultivated this spectacular plant at his property just east of Charleston. He has kindly provided information and specimens for this exhibit. A very nice preserved specimen collected at Dr. Whiteside's garden has also been provided by EiU's herbarium, which is curated by Dr. Gordon Tucker, professor in the Department of Biological sciences.

David Bell, Booth Library, curator (Marvin Foyer)