Home >

Franklinia (Gordonia) lasianthus, Loblolly Bay

Preferring partial shade and moist soil, Loblolly-Bay can tolerate full sun only with sufficient moisture. Most trees form a central trunk and small diameter branches with little or no pruning. Loblolly-Bay has a shallow root system and will die if not watered during periods of drought. It is found in the wild most often growing in wet to moist sites around bogs and ponds in with maples, cypress and pines. It is well-suited for planting in boggy and other poorly drained soils, but ill-suited for dry soil conditions. In moist soils, Loblolly-Bay naturalizes well and is well-suited to the low-maintenance landscape.

Trees occur naturally south to Lake Okochobee.

Manganese and magnesium applications are reported to aid in transplant establishment, although no formal tests have been published. National champion is 95 X 60 feet with nearly a four foot thick trunk in Ocala, Florida.