These two Mountain Gordlinia trees (x Gordlinia) were planted in the fall of 2019 on Tawes Plaza. They are an intergeneric hybrid between Gordonia and Franklinia. This hybrid does appear to have hybrid vigor as we have had problems trying to grow both of the parents in the past.
There is still a Gordonia at the Architecture Building struggling to hang on and live, but no flowers anymore. The Franklinia planted there did poorly also.
This hybrid was developed at North Carolina State University by Dr. Tom Ranney relative recently, so it is not a very common landscape tree yet.
