Fremontodendron – California native tongue twister

Fremontodendrons in bloom

Driving home today I saw the fremontodendrons blooming along the highway. Between the beauty of the flowers and the tongue tripping name, I just couldn’t stop myself from heading for the computer. Fremontodenrons are not well known even in their native California. They don’t like heavy soil or too much water so they are unhappy and die in a normal irrigated California yard. While some Californians may actually recognize the plant and even fewer might know the name, it is rare if anyone outside of California has ever heard of one.

Historic Namesake

In the Sierra foothills, they are just one more sign that we are well into Spring in central California. Perhaps what I enjoy most about the fremontodendrons is saying the word. It has too many consonants and there is an uneasy junction where the proper name ‘Fremont’ hitches to the suffix ‘dendron’ meaning tree. Fremont is for John Fremont who was Military Governor of California before statehood and later a Senator and candidate for President. The poor Fremontodendron is saddled with the ungainly name which handicaps it when compared to other competing California native plants like manzanita, ceanothus and erigonum, all more widely known and loved.

A good plant if you have the right place

The plant itself is a shrubby tree with fuzzy evergreen leaves giving it the equally unlovely common name of flannel bush. It is great in a native landscape environment or where you need a plant that you don’t need to water. It isn’t spectacular during most of the year but in Spring when it covers itself with 3 inch yellow to golden flowers it makes up for everything.

In my Southern California front yard I had a large one as part of an informal mixed hedge screening my wifes office patio where with a large ceanothus it provided a colorful background in spring.  Here at my new place, I found a corner of my inferno strip side yard where, in time,  it will screen the trashcans.  So far, this year my young plant is just starting to sprout new leaves and I don’t expect flowers.   Patience.