Rooted in revelation: A researcher's dogged quest aims to reveal the genetic diversity of a mysterious tree
William Bartram was struck by the beauty of the trees he found along the banks of Georgia’s Altamaha River in 1773.
The trees, Bartram noted, had flowers that “are very large, expand themselves perfectly, are of a snow-white colour, and ornamented with a crown or tassel of gold coloured refulgent staminae in their centre.” Bartram had encountered the same trees when he and his father, John Bartram, went on their first expedition in 1765 to catalog the flora and fauna of the southeastern area of the North American colonies at the request of King George III.