Common Name: Southern Magnolia
Origin: Southeastern USA
Location: CNE, CSE, CSW

• Spring Spring
• Summer Summer
• Autumn Autumn
• Winter Winter
• Leaf Leaf
• Bark Bark
• Flower Flower
• Fruit - Immature Fruit - Immature
• Fruit - Mature Fruit - Mature
•  

Notable Feature: Truly an aristocratic evergreen noted for its attractive, highly glossy and leathery, dark green leaves and for its large, extremely fragrant flowers.

 

Habit: A broadleaved, evergreen tree that is low branching and has a densely pyramidal to rounded crown. Typically grows to 60 to 80’ tall with a spread of 30 to 50’.

 

Foliage: Leathery, evergreen, ovate to elliptic leaves (up to 10” long) are glossy, dark green above and rusty brown and woolly beneath.

 

Flower: Large, white, fragrant flowers with a lemon-citronella scent emerge in late spring with sparse continued flowering throughout the summer. The perfect flowers (bisexual) are 8 to 12” in diameter and consist of 6, 9, to 15 tepals (modified petals).

 

Fruit: A cone-like cluster (follicle), 3 to 5” long, splits open to reveal bright red seeds that ripen in the fall.

 

Interesting Fact: Leaves and seed pods are popular in floral arrangements. Kendal Crosslands Arboretum is near the northern edge of its hardiness range.