Southern Magnolia (
Magnolia grandiflora)
DBH: 2.67 (cm) measured on January 14, 2022
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Magnolia grandiflora, commonly known as thesouthern magnoliaorbull bay, is a tree of the familyMagnoliaceaenative to thesoutheasternUnited States, from southeastern North Carolina to centralFlorida, and west toEast Texas. Reaching 27.5m (90ft) in height, it is a large, striking evergreen tree, with large dark green leaves up to 20cm (73⁄4in) long and 12cm (43⁄4in) wide, and large, white, fragrant flowers up to 30cm (12in) in diameter.
Although endemic to the lowlandsubtropicalforests on the Gulf and south Atlantic coastal plain, magnolia grandiflora is widely cultivated in warmer areas around the world. The timber is hard and heavy, and has been used commercially to make furniture, pallets, and veneer.
Magnolia grandiflorais a medium to largeevergreentree which may grow 120ft (37m) tall.[1]It typically has a single stem (or trunk) and apyramidalshape.[2]
Theleavesare simple and broadly ovate, 12–20cm (43⁄4–73⁄4in) long and 6–12cm (21⁄4–43⁄4in) broad,[2]with smooth margins. They are dark green, stiff and leathery, and often scurfy underneath with yellow-brownpubescence.
The large, showy,lemoncitronella-scentedflowersare white, up to 30cm (113⁄4in) across and fragrant, with six to 12 petals with a waxy texture, emerging from the tips of twigs on mature trees in late spring.
Flowering is followed by the rose-coloured fruit, ovoidpolyfollicle, 7.5–10cm (3–37⁄8in) long, and 3–5cm (11⁄4–2in) wide.[3]
Exceptionally large trees have been reported in the farsouthern United States. The national champion is a specimen inSmith County, Mississippi, that stands an incredible 37m (121ft). Another record includes a 35-m-high specimen from the Chickasawhay District,De Soto National Forest, inMississippi, which measured 17.75ft in circumference at breast height, from 1961, and a 30-m-tall tree fromBaton Rouge, which reached 18ft in circumference at breast height.[3]
Southern magnolias are native to theSoutheastern United States, from North Carolina south to centralFlorida, and then west to EastTexas. It is found on the edges of bodies of water and swamps, in association with sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), water oak (Quercus nigra), and black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica). In more sheltered habitats, it grows as a large tree, but can be a low shrub when found on coastal dunes.[7]It is killed by summer fires, and is missing fromhabitatsthat undergo regular burning.[8]
InFlorida, it is found in a number of different ecological areas that are typically shady and have well-draining soils; it is also found in hummocks, along ravines, on slopes, and in wooded floodplains.[9]Despite preferring sites with increased moisture, it does not tolerate inundation.[3]It grows on sand-hills in maritime forests, where it is found growing withlive oaksandsaw palmetto.[8]In the eastern United States, it has become an escape, and has become naturalized in thetidewater areaof Virginia, Maryland, and theWashington, D.C. metropolitan areaand locally in other areas outside of its historically natural range.[10][11]
Magnolia grandifloracan produce seed by 10 years of age, although peak seed production is achieved closer to 25 years of age. Around 50% of seeds can germinate, and they are spread by birds and mammals.[3]Squirrels, opossums, quail, and turkey are known to eat the seeds.[12]