Native Plant Fun Facts: The gorgeous Fremontodendron californicum

Fremontodendron californicum’s briliiant, sturdy flowers provide abundant springtime food for bees and butterflies. Photo credit: Bettina Neumann

This week’s featured California native plant is the hardy, gorgeous Fremontodendron californicum, commonly known as California flannelbush. The most notable feature of Fremontodendron californicum is its stunning bright yellow flowers that bloom in spring, so look for them as you walk in your neighborhood these days. The blooms are about three inches in diameter and are abundant on the plant, which is often called a shrub but in ideal conditions can get 20 feet tall and wide in five years! The flowers provide food for bees and butterflies. 

This Fremontodendron californicum in San Francisco’s Diamond Heights neighborhood is quite large. In ideal conditions, this plant can grow to 20 feet wide by 20 feet wide!

Fremontodendron californicum prefers full sun, well-draining sandy soil, and after its first year in your garden, does not want direct watering. It should be planted at least ten feet from irrigated areas. It also does not tolerate summer watering well, so you can see why it’s perfect for Northern California’s summer-dry climate! 

The name California flannelbush is a bit of a misnomer -- while the leaves are fuzzy, they’re certainly not cozy. In fact, the leaves can cause skin and eye irritation and can get caught on clothing, so it’s best to plant this beautiful plant away from pathways to give it the social distancing space it prefers. 

The beautiful flowers of Fremontodendron may draw you in, but mind the leaves — while the plant is commonly called California flannelbush, the fuzz on its leaves can be a skin and eye irritant.

Fremontodendron californucim is in the Malvaceae plant family, and has a very well-known cousin, the cacao plant! Other relatives include Abutilon, Hollyhocks, and Hibiscus. 

GFE didn’t have a Fremontodendron for years, but we now have a baby one, which has three developing flower buds! We’re excited to watch its development. We procured ours from Bay Natives plant nursery, along with many other lovingly cultivated California native plants. 

We hope you spot a Fremontodendron californicum soon in your area!

This Fremontodendron californicum in an elevated yard in Noe Valley provides a sense of scale. You can see they get quite large! Unless you plan to prune yours frequently (there are some retangular sheared ones on the west side of Horace Mann School at 23rd Street and Valencia), be sure you have ample room for a full-grown plant.