Information on Theaceae

Does anyone know good information sources for Theaceae plants (Camellias, Tea Plants, Gordonias, Franklinias, etc.)? I'm working with brazilian Theaceae and I need general information about those plants. I didn't know where I could ask for it, but since they are all trees or shrubs... well... sorry for any incovenience ^.^

www.bartramsgarden.org/franklinia- it even has a census for franklinias.
www.streetside.com/plants/floridata/ref/g/gord_las.htm pretty layout
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/gorlas/ has all the facts but not in a warm and fuzzy way.

You could probably look up all of the plants using the fed database.

Can you post a picture of the brazilian theaceae you are working with? Just curious. I'm hoping to germinate Franklinia this winter.

skatayama

Many thanks! These websites are precious! I´m aware of the rarity of Franklinia alatamaha, and the efforts that are being made to preserve this species. If I ever get a license to import seeds, I´ll try to plant it over here. Thanks for using your time to look for it :^)

In exchange, I will direct you to an entry I made on the PDB. http://plantsdatabase.com/go/58182/

Laplacea fruticosa is a very representative brazilian Theaceae, being common on humid forests, usually along rivers. It has many undefined white petals and sepals, and a delicious scent. I have yet to see a cultivated specimen... I guess I will be the first one to do it :^)

Wow! That is a very attractive plant. Let me know if you get it propagated.
I am trying my hand at sowing Franklinia this winter. I've heard it has a low germination rate so I may have to resort to buying a specimen if I really want it (I really do).

I'm not sure how they are propagating Franklinia commercially. Not that many nurseries bother with it. I've heard of at least one doing it from seeds with a project of collecting seeds from as many different plants as possible to include any possible genetic variation from such a limited genetic base.

skatayama

skatayama

Update:

I have found a refference to an article from the Hortscience journal about a new attempt to keep Franklinia alatamaha alive... well, sort of.

They talk about how rare this species is in nature, and how hard is to cultivate it. So, they chosed a resistant species of the same family from Asia, Schima argentea, and tried to make a hybrid between those two... and aparently, they were successful! Even if the Franklinia ever gets extinct, its gene pool could still be preserved on this hybrid.

I have read only the abstract of this article. I want to have it in my hands as soon as possible.

Well, my wintersowing of Franklinia was a bust.
Today, on a long-delayed trip to Rarefind Nurseries, I finally bought one. It's a healthy two footer. I had read where self-pollinated seeds had a germination rate close to zero. I'll have to ask the provenance of their stock and try to get a few from various sources.

Rarefind is really an enjoyable place even on a hot day. The owner gave us a tour on a golf cart. We (Spiderman, otherwise known as my son, and I) got sneak peeks of new rhododendron introductions and Kevin got a sprig of Clethra. Saw lots and lots of other stuff I wanted.

I will have to look up that article.

Sheila

I found this article where you don't have to subscribe to get past the abstract.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/staff/tranney/ranneyetal.pdf

I wonder if Camellia forest (Chapel Hill, NC) would have Schima argentea?

Sheila

I have seen that article, I think I posted the link in another thread (should have updated my post above ^.^ ). That´s a really interesting work, and I have included that in my thesis. I wonder about the possibilities of using brazilian species to produce more resistant hybrids.

I also wonder is the hybrid Schimlinia is already avfailable in north american nurseries.

Thanks for the link, others might find it useful too.

I don't think the hybrid is available yet. It's generating a lot of interest though...
even over in the GW.
Sheila