[4][5] Subspecies have formerly included: Fremontodendron is named for Major General John Charles Frémont (1813–90), an explorer of western North America.

[citation needed][15] It is also found from central to northern Baja California state, in isolated chaparral locales in the Peninsular Ranges.

[18] There are several named hybrids of Fremontodendron californicum and F. mexicanum in the horticultural trade, they include: As a traditional Native American medicinal plant, the inner bark's sap that was used as a topical remedy for mucous membrane irritation and for gastrointestinal upset, by some of the indigenous peoples of California.

[23] The wood was also used by the Californian Yokuts and Kawaiisu peoples as a building and furniture material, and the bark for cordage and for nets used in acorn cache holding and snare hunting.

[23] It contributed cultural significance as Indigenous communities utilized the flexible nature of the wood to craft hoop-and-pole game materials.