Magnolia

Magnolias are flowering trees and shrubs famous for their large, beautiful and often sweet-smelling blossoms. There are more than 200 species, some evergreen and some that drop their leaves in winter, and they are planted in parks and gardens all over the world.

Scientific Classification & Quick Facts

Common name	Magnolia
Scientific name	Magnolia
Kingdom	Plantae
Phylum	Tracheophyta
Class	Magnoliopsida
Order	Magnoliales
Family	Magnoliaceae
Type	Tree or shrub, evergreen or deciduous
Habitat	Well-drained, moist, acidic soil in sun or partial shade
Native range	Americas and East and Southeast Asia
Colours	White, yellow or purple flowers
Height	40 to 80 feet
Special feature	Ancient flowers pollinated by beetles

Meet the Magnolia

Magnolia trees are loved for their shape, their glossy leaves and above all their flowers, which can be white, cream, pink, purple or even yellow. Many deciduous kinds bloom in early spring before their leaves appear, covering bare branches in color. Some evergreen types have leaves with a soft, rusty-brown fuzz underneath.

The genus is named after Pierre Magnol, a French botanist who lived in the 1600s and early 1700s. Magnolias belong to their own plant family, the Magnoliaceae. Parts of some species, especially the bark, have also been used in traditional herbal medicine, mainly in China and Japan.

A Very Ancient Plant

Magnolias are one of the oldest groups of flowering plants. Fossils of magnolia relatives date back roughly 100 million years, to the age of the dinosaurs. They appeared before bees existed, so their flowers evolved to be pollinated by beetles instead.

This explains some unusual features. The flower parts are thick and tough, so beetles crawling over them do not cause damage. The flowers also do not have clearly separate petals and sepals like most flowers. Instead, all the colorful parts look alike, and botanists call them tepals.

Where Magnolias Grow Wild

Wild magnolias are found in two main regions of the world. One is East and Southeast Asia, including the Himalayas, China and Japan. The other is the Americas: eastern North America, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and parts of South America.

Depending on the species, magnolias can be evergreen, semi-evergreen or deciduous. Some stay as large shrubs, while the biggest species can grow into trees 60 to 80 feet (18 to 24 meters) tall.

The Southern Magnolia

The southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), also called bull bay, is native to the southeastern United States and is one of the best-known magnolias. It is a large evergreen tree with thick, shiny, dark green leaves that are often rusty-brown underneath.

Its creamy white flowers are huge, often 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) across, and have a rich lemony scent. They are cup-shaped when they first open. After flowering, the tree produces cone-like fruits about 3 to 5 inches long. In autumn these split open to reveal bright red seeds that hang on thin threads, a treat for birds and other wildlife.

Southern magnolias are popular street and shade trees in the southern United States. They are planted in many other countries too. In the state of Manipur in India, the magnolia is called uthambal, meaning “tree lotus“, and its flowers are used as religious offerings.

Growing Magnolias at Home

Soil and Position

Most magnolias like moist, well-drained soil that is rich in compost or leaf mold and slightly acidic. Many will also grow in neutral or slightly alkaline soil, and in loam, clay or sandy soils, as long as the ground does not stay waterlogged. Once settled in, they can cope with short dry spells.

Choose a spot with full sun or partial shade. In hot, dry climates, some shade in the afternoon helps. Shelter from strong winds is important, because wind can tear the big flowers and break brittle branches. In cold areas, avoid frost pockets, since late frosts can turn early blossoms brown.

Planting

Photo by: Theopolisme

• Dig a hole about two to three times as wide as the root ball, but no deeper.
• Remove the pot, or any wrapping such as burlap from a balled tree. Gently loosen roots that circle around the outside of the root ball.
• Set the tree so the top of the root ball is level with the surrounding ground, or slightly higher in heavy clay soil.
• Fill in around the roots with the soil you dug out and firm it gently to remove air pockets. Do not pile soil on top of the root ball.
• Water deeply, then spread a layer of mulch around the tree, keeping it a few inches away from the trunk.

Watering

Young magnolias need regular watering, especially in their first two or three years, until their roots are well established. Keep the soil around the base moist but not soggy. Mulch helps hold in moisture.

Climate

Different magnolias suit different climates. Some, like the star magnolia, are quite cold-hardy, while others, like many evergreen types, prefer mild winters. Check which species or variety suits your area before you buy.

Flowering

Most deciduous magnolias bloom in spring, often before their leaves open. The evergreen southern magnolia flowers on and off from late spring through summer.

Care and Pruning

Feed with a slow-release fertilizer in spring, when the flower buds begin to swell. Be careful with lawn mowers and string trimmers near the trunk. Magnolia bark is thin and easily damaged, and wounds let in insects and disease.

Magnolias heal slowly, so prune as little as possible. Remove broken or dead branches whenever you see them. Any other pruning is best done after flowering. If a tree needs to be made smaller, do it gradually over several years, thinning out whole branches rather than chopping off the tops.

Popular Kinds of Magnolia

• Star magnolia (Magnolia stellata): a small, slow-growing tree from Japan with white, star-shaped spring flowers.
• Saucer magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana): a garden hybrid with big pink-and-white, saucer-shaped flowers. It is sometimes nicknamed the “tulip tree”, though the true tulip tree is a different plant in the same family.
• Sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana): a native of the eastern United States that grows well in damp ground. It is also called swamp bay, swamp magnolia or beaver tree.
• Umbrella magnolia (Magnolia tripetala): named for its large leaves that spread out like an umbrella at the ends of the branches. It is also known as elkwood.
• Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora): the big evergreen bull bay of the southeastern United States.
• Anise magnolia (Magnolia salicifolia): a Japanese tree with narrow, willow-like leaves, also called willow-leaf magnolia. Its leaves and bark smell of anise when crushed.
• Bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla): a North American tree with enormous leaves that can be well over 2 feet (60 cm) long, the largest simple leaves of any native tree in North America.
• Ashe’s magnolia (Magnolia ashei): a rare, smaller relative of the bigleaf magnolia from the Florida Panhandle, sometimes treated as a subspecies of it.
• Cucumber tree (Magnolia acuminata): a tall tree from eastern North America whose young green fruits look a little like small cucumbers. Some forms have yellow flowers.
• Lily magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora): a shrubby magnolia from China with purple, lily-like flowers, sometimes called the woody orchid. It is a parent of many hybrids, including the saucer magnolia.
• Loebner magnolia (Magnolia x loebneri): a hybrid of the star magnolia and the Kobus magnolia, with masses of white or pink spring flowers.
• Kobus magnolia (Magnolia kobus): a tree from Japan and Korea with white spring flowers, also called the Kobushi magnolia.

Magnolia FAQs

Related: Tulip