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Fremontodendron californicum

Common name:	Flannel Flower	Family:	Sterculiaceae
Author:	(Torr.)Coville.	Botanical references:	11, 71, 200
Synonyms:	Fremontia californica (Torr.), Chiranthodendron californicum ((Torr.)Baill.)
Known Hazards:	The stem is clothed with brown hairs which rub off easily and can be a severe irritant[166]. When pruning it is best to wear a mask[166]. The eyes can be badly affected[202].
Range:	South-western N. America - California and Arizona.
Habitat:	Dry, mostly granitic slopes, 900 - 1800 metres in California[71]. It thrives on poor dry rocky soils of the foothills, where it often forms dense thickets[229].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	F. californicum ssp. crassifolium[B,P] F. californicum ssp. decumbens[B,FWSSYM,P] F. californicum ssp. napense[B,P] F. californicum ssp. obispoense[B,P] F. decumbens[B,CPC,FWS,FWS,C,CAL,G,P] Fremontia californica ssp. crassifolia[B,P] Fremontia californica ssp. obispoensis[B,P] Fremontia californica var. crassifolia[P] Fremontia californica var. diegensis[B,P] Fremontia californica var. integra[B,P] Fremontia californica var. napensis[B,P] Fremontia californica var. typica[B,P] Fremontia californica var. viridis[B,P] Fremontia crassifolia[B,P] Fremontia napensis[B,P] Fremontia obispoensis[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	California Flannelbush [P,B], California Fremontia [DEN2], California Slippery Elm [S], Californian Slippery Elm [H], Flannelbush [FEIS], Pine Hill Flannelbush [B], Slippery Elm, California [S],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Malvales. Cacao family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 6m by 4m at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 8 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from May to July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, By Walls, By South Wall, By East Wall.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Poultice.

The inner bark is used as a poultice[4, 61].

One report says that the bark has similar properties to Ulmus rubra (Slippery Elm Bark)[4]. These properties are as follows:-

Slippery elm bark is a widely used herbal remedy and is considered to be one of the most valuable of remedies in herbal practice[4]. In particular, it is a gentle and effective remedy for irritated states of the mucous membranes of the chest, urinary tubules, stomach and intestines[254]. The inner bark contains large quantities of a sticky slime that can be dried to a powder or made into a liquid[229]. The inner bark is harvested in the spring from the main trunk and from larger branches, it is then dried and powdered for use as required[4]. Ten year old bark is said to be best[4]. Fine grades of the powder are best for internal use, coarse grades are better suited to poultices[238]. The plant is also part of a North American formula called essiac which is a popular treatment for cancer. Its effectiveness has never been reliably proven or disproven since controlled studies have not been carried out. The other herbs included in the formula are Arctium lappa, Rumex acetosella and Rheum palmatum[254].
The inner bark is demulcent, diuretic, emollient, expectorant, nutritive[4, 21, 165, 213]. It has a soothing and healing effect on all parts of the body that it comes into contact with[4] and is used in the treatment of sore throats, indigestion, digestive irritation, stomach ulcers etc[222]. It used to be frequently used as a food that was a nutritive tonic for the old, young and convalescents[222]. It was also applied externally to fresh wounds, burns and scalds[222].
The bark has been used as an antioxidant to prevent fats going rancid[222].
The whole bark, including the outer bark, has been used as a mechanical irritant to abort foetuses[238]. Its use became so widespread that it is now banned in several countries[238].

Other Uses

Fibre Wood.

The bark can be made into cordage then used in making nets etc[257].
Wood - fine-grained, hard to soft, heavy[82, 229]. It is not used commercially due to the small size of the tree[229].

Cultivation details

Requires a light well-drained poorish soil[11] in full sun in a position sheltered from cold drying winds[200]. Tolerates light shade[202]. Prefers a hot dry situation according to one report[166] whilst another says that it does best against a north, west or east wall, a southern exposure usually being too hot and dry[182]. Tolerates very chalky soils[200, 202]. Plants produce lush growth when growing in rich soils at the expense of flowering[200].
This species is not hardy in the open at Kew, though it succeeds in the open in milder areas of the country[11, 182]. Plants tolerate temperatures down to about -15° c, especially once they are more than 1.5 metres tall[202].
Plants are relatively fast growing[202].
Resents root disturbance and should be planted into its final position when quite young[1, 11]. Plants do not seem to be long lived in cultivation[182], about 20 years being considered old age[219]. They are subject to sudden collapse and death, even if they have been growing and flowering well[11]. This is probably the result of excessive wet or of the plant failing to fully ripen its wood. The stems die back if the bark is cracked by frost or abrasion[1].
Plants can be pruned in mid to late summer, this will generate new growth and more flowers[202].
This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 48 hours in warm water and then sow singly in pots in a cold frame in late winter. Variable germination[78]. Grow the young plants on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in sandy soil in a frame[200].
Cuttings of greenwood in spring in a frame[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

References for Fremontia californica (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] SW USA Dist. Maps from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine

References for Fremontodendron decumbens (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for the family Sterculiaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[71] Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959
An excellent flora but no pictures. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[82] Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965 ISBN 0-486-20278-X
Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader.

[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.

[166] Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990
A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[202] Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking. 1990 ISBN 0-670-82929-3
Contains information on 2,000 species and cultivars, giving details of cultivation requirements. The text is terse but informative.

[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.

[219] Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983 ISBN 0-00-219220-0
A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[229] Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980 ISBN 0442238622
A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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