Southern Magnolia

Magnolia grandiflora

Classification• Kingdom Plantae – Plants • Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants • Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants • Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants • Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons • Subclass Magnoliidae • Order Magnoliales• Family Magnoliaceae – Magnolia family • Genus Magnolia L. – magnolia • Species Magnolia grandiflora L. – southern

magnolia

Shape, Form, Type• Grows around 60 to 80 feet

tall• Spread out 30 to 40 feet• irregular outline or

silhouette crown uniformity

• Crown shape is oval or pyramidal

• Crown density is moderate• Growth rate is medium• Coarse texture• Is an evergreen

Figure 1

Bark

• Is thin• Is easily damaged• Brown to gray • smooth/lenticellate

when young• Close plates or scales

later in lifeFigure 2

Twig

• Very stout• White to rusty

tomentum• long (1 to 1 1/2

inches) • silky white to rusty

red terminal bud Figure 3

Leaf• Simple type and alternates• Shape is elliptic (oval)• Broad and is an evergreen• Evergreen• Blade length is 8 to 12

inches• 4 to 8 inches wide• Green in color and leathery• underside often has a

cinnamon-brown pubescence Figure 4

Bud

• Silky white to red• Terminal

Figure 5

Flower

• 8 to 12" long• Very pleasant

fragrance• Creamy white color• Flowers in the

summer and in the spring

• MonoeciousFigure 6

Fruit• Fleshy • Conelike• Matures from September through

the late fall • Seeds are 6 to 13 mm (0.25 to 0.5

in) long and bright red• The seeds emerge and hang

temporarily • The seeds are suspended by

slender, silken threads before dropping

• An aggregate of follicles • green changing to red and later to

brown• 3 to 5 inches long Figure 7

Habitat and Range

• Ranges from the Coastal Plain to extreme southeast Virginia to Florida, and all the way westward to Texas

• Habitat is located in lowlands & coastal woods Figure 8

Uses

• Recommended for buffer strips around parking lots

• For median strip plantings in the highway• Screen• Shade tree• Residential street tree

References

Text References• http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/MAG

GRAA.pdf

• http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/magnolia_grandiflora.html

• http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/magnolia/grandiflora.htm

• http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=56

Figure References• 3,5,7

http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/magr4.htm

• 1,2,4 • Personal pictures• 6,8

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=MAGR4