Magnolia grandiflora

Magnolia grandiflora

 

Common name: southern magnolia

Family: Magnoliaceae

Leaf: leathery, ovate to elliptic leaves, evergreen, up to 10" long, dark green above, cinnamon-brown underneath

Flowers: white, showy, 8-12" in diameter, with 6 petals, blooming in late spring, with sporadic blooms for the rest of the summer

Fruit: cone-like fruiting structures, showy, maturing late summer to early fall, with showy, bright red seeds popping out, and still attached to the fruit.

Height: 60-80'; Spread: 30-50'

Habit: broadleaf evergreen tree; Form: pyramidal to rounded crown

Culture: Best planted in full sun to part shade, in rich, fertile soil with medium moisture. The ideal is part shade, but can handle full sun. Needs lots of room to expand. Hardy to USDA zones 7-9, though in some cases, it can be pushed to USDA zone 6b. Generally intolerant of moisture extremes- too dry or too wet, that is. It is also fairly intolerant of urban pollution. In hard winters, M. grandiflora, could be somewhat deciduous. 'Bracken's Brown Beauty' is a cultivar considered more hardy- down to USDA zone 5b.
'Little Gem' is a dwarf cultivar, growing narrow, from 20-25' tall, good for small gardens, or trained against a wall or espaliered.

Uses: a beautiful landscape plant, specimen tree.

Origin: Southeastern U.S.A.