#floweringtrees

Ants stealing a nectar snack from a Fremontodendron at the gardens! I didn’t see a label for this tree (and don’t have a Jepson handy ), so it could well be any of the three species in the genus: F. californicum, F. decumbens, or F. mexicanum. Known as California flannelbush, F. californicum grows in a diverse range of habitats in California, Arizona, and Baja California. F. decumbens and F. mexicanum have much narrower ranges- they’re endemic to the Sierra Nevada foothills and the Peninsular Ranges, respectively, and are federally listed as endangered (F. decumbens is listed as F. californicum ssp. decumbens in ECOS). These stunning trees are cultivated as ornamentals, so this particular plant could even be a hybrid. #Malvaceae #Fremontodendron #flannelbush #nativeplants #plantnatives #california #wildflowers #floweringtrees #ornamentalplants #ranchosantaanabotanicgarden #botanicgarden #botanicalgarden #ants #nectar #orange #yellow (at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden)
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