As someone who’s lived on 5 continents, I love to think about trees as migrants too. It also raises important questions about what makes us indigenous. Thanks for sharing
It does raise questions about what is indigenous, whether for us or for trees. Humans have been moving trees around landscapes for as long as there have been humans, and probably our hominin ancestors as well.
I didn't know Phytophthora cinnamomi is the likely reason (along with a warming climate) that caused Franklinia trees to die out in their original Georgia habitat. I have wanted a Franklinia for decades, ever since I saw one in flower at a nursery in California, where I once lived. I was finally able to add one to my garden in the NY Hudson Valley this year. The Catskill Native Plant Nursery in Kerhonkson NY propagates and sells them. I'm interested to know that you traveled through the Altamaha valley, because I would dearly love to know what plants grew alongside Franklinia in its original Georgia habitat. Do you have any idea?
The Altamaha River basin was the earliest land cleared by Europeans in Georgia, to support the slave-worked cotton plantations. Even when the Bartrams were there, much of the land had been cleared. With the end of slavery, cotton farming disappeared, but this coincided with the beginning of Southern pine plantations, which are still dominant.
Areas that came back in natural vegetation are largely of southern bottomland hardwoods including oaks, sweetgum, and baldcypress.
I’ve wanted to obtain one of these for a while now! I look forward to articles on American Yellowwood and Kentucky Coffeetree (just saw the first adult and collected quite a few seeds!) September Elm is the most susceptible to DED, I think. And Madagascaran Forest Coconut is one of the few polyploid palm trees, with only a few dozen left in the wild as of roughly ten years ago.
As someone who’s lived on 5 continents, I love to think about trees as migrants too. It also raises important questions about what makes us indigenous. Thanks for sharing
It does raise questions about what is indigenous, whether for us or for trees. Humans have been moving trees around landscapes for as long as there have been humans, and probably our hominin ancestors as well.
I didn't know Phytophthora cinnamomi is the likely reason (along with a warming climate) that caused Franklinia trees to die out in their original Georgia habitat. I have wanted a Franklinia for decades, ever since I saw one in flower at a nursery in California, where I once lived. I was finally able to add one to my garden in the NY Hudson Valley this year. The Catskill Native Plant Nursery in Kerhonkson NY propagates and sells them. I'm interested to know that you traveled through the Altamaha valley, because I would dearly love to know what plants grew alongside Franklinia in its original Georgia habitat. Do you have any idea?
The Altamaha River basin was the earliest land cleared by Europeans in Georgia, to support the slave-worked cotton plantations. Even when the Bartrams were there, much of the land had been cleared. With the end of slavery, cotton farming disappeared, but this coincided with the beginning of Southern pine plantations, which are still dominant.
Areas that came back in natural vegetation are largely of southern bottomland hardwoods including oaks, sweetgum, and baldcypress.
That’s so sad!
Please check out the work of the Alarka Institute in Macon County NC with regard to Frankliniana in WNC.
Great! I found a story about Alarka, and hope to visit next time I am western NC.
I’ve wanted to obtain one of these for a while now! I look forward to articles on American Yellowwood and Kentucky Coffeetree (just saw the first adult and collected quite a few seeds!) September Elm is the most susceptible to DED, I think. And Madagascaran Forest Coconut is one of the few polyploid palm trees, with only a few dozen left in the wild as of roughly ten years ago.
I'm making a list!