An ancient genus of flowering trees whose huge waxy goblet flowers predate bees and were pollinated by the earliest beetles a hundred million years ago.
Where it grows
Wild magnolias persist in two disjunct ranges: eastern Asia (China, Korea, Japan) and the southeastern United States, where the evergreen southern magnolia (M. grandiflora) is the state flower of Mississippi and Louisiana. The popular saucer magnolia (M. × soulangeana) is a French hybrid bred in the 1820s from two Chinese species.
How to recognise it
A small to large tree two to thirty metres tall depending on species, with thick alternate leaves and large solitary terminal flowers six to thirty centimetres across. The flower has no true petals — the showy parts are tepals — and a central cone-shaped receptacle bearing primitive stamens and carpels. The fruits split open to reveal bright red seeds in autumn.
Garden & cultural uses
Magnolias bloom before their leaves emerge in deciduous species, hanging the bare branches with goblet flowers. Frost damage is the major hazard for early-flowering kinds, which is why M. stellata and M. × soulangeana are best planted on north walls where they leaf out later. The bark of M. officinalis is a staple of traditional Chinese medicine.
In evolution
Magnolia fossils date back over ninety-five million years and the rigid carpels are believed to be an adaptation to beetle pollination, which predates the evolution of bees.
Find more flowers by letter
Magnolia starts with M and ends with A. Browse other flowers along the same letter.
Flowers that contain a letter from "Magnolia":