Re: Carpenteria, also flannel bush
Dear all.
Does anybody know for sure, which family Carpenteria belongs. My reference
books have it the families Hydrangeaceae, Philadelphaceae and Saxifragaceae! I
have also found a genus CarpentAria, which is a palm. Talk about confusing...
Fremontodendron californicum appears to be quite a fashionable plant in the UK
at the moment (at least it is in the London area). I have a four year old plant
growing in semi-shade. My soil is acidic and fairly free draining. I never
water my plant, but then the recent summers here have been dotted with enough
heavy thunderstorms as to make watering unnecessary for most of the plants. Up
to now, I have had no problems. The plant starts flowering early June, and
continues flowering all summer. I have been able to gather a few seeds from the
plant, but have been unable to germinate them so far. Any tips in this respect
would be useful.
Incidently take care when handling this plant. It is full of tiny hairs which
can easily irritate the skin. I know, I didn't use gloves when gathering the
seeds!
David Field
London, UK.
