Magnolia facts

Mag­nolia is the name of both a plant family and a genus. They include vines, shrubs and trees. The flowers are usually large and sweet smelling, with colors from pink, yellow or white to purple. They grow mainly in North and Central America and in Asia.

Magnolia trees (in genus Magnolia) may be evergreen or deciduous. The stamens and carpels are in spirals rather than in the more common whorled pattern. The roots are ten­der, making it difficult to transplant the tree. Propagation is by layering, stem cuttings and seeds. The star magnolia is a small tree of northern states. The flowers appear before the leaves and are among the first flowers of spring.

In the magnolia family, the cucumber tree of southern forests is the tallest, over 100 feet, with green flowers. The umbrella tree grows to 40 feet with leaves 25 inches long. The bull hay is almost as tall as the cucumber tree and has showy flowers measuring eight inches across. The swamp bay is an evergreen in Texas that grows to 50 feet tall.

Magnolia

Magnolia flower