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Southern Magnolia

Magnolia grandiflora

Summary 2

Magnolia grandiflora, commonly known as the southern magnolia or bull bay, is a tree of the family Magnoliaceae native to the southeastern United States, from southeastern North Carolina to central Florida, and west to East Texas. Reaching 27.5 m (90 ft) in height, it is a large, striking evergreen tree, with large dark green leaves up to 20 cm (7 3⁄4 in) long and 12 cm (4 3⁄4 in) wide, and large, white, fragrant flowers up to 30 cm (12 in) in diameter.

Description 3

Magnolia grandiflora is a medium to large evergreen tree which may grow 120 ft (37 m) tall. It typically has a single stem (or trunk) and a pyramidal shape. The leaves are simple and broadly ovate, 12–20 cm (4 3⁄4–7 3⁄4 in) long and 6–12 cm (2 1⁄4–4 3⁄4 in) broad, with smooth margins. They are dark green, stiff and leathery, and often scurfy underneath with yellow-brown pubescence.

The large, showy, lemoncitronella-scented flowers are white, up to 30 cm (11 3⁄4 in) 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, ovoid polyfollicle, 7.5–10 cm (3–3 7⁄8 in) long, and 3–5 cm (1 1⁄4–2 in) wide.

Exceptionally large trees have been reported in the far southern United States. The national champion is a specimen in Smith County, Mississippi, that stands an incredible 37 m (121 ft). Another record includes a 35-m-high specimen from the Chickasawhay District, De Soto National Forest, in Mississippi, which measured 17.75 ft in circumference at breast height, from 1961, and a 30-m-tall tree from Baton Rouge, which reached 18 ft in circumference at breast height.

Distribution and habitat 3

Southern magnolias are native to the Southeastern United States, from Virginia south to central Florida, and then west to East Texas. 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. It is killed by summer fires, and is missing from habitats that undergo regular burning.

In Florida, 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. Despite preferring sites with increased moisture, it does not tolerate inundation. It grows on sand-hills in maritime forests, where it is found growing with live oaks and saw palmetto (Serenoa repens). In the eastern United States, it has become an escapee, and has become naturalized in the tidewater area of Virginia and locally in other areas outside of its historically natural range.

Ecology 3

Magnolia grandiflora can 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. Squirrels, opossums, quail, and turkey are known to eat the seeds.

Summary 4

Magnolias are one of the oldest tree species in the world. Southern magnolia is a flowering, woody evergreen tree that often occurs in moist woodlands, hardwood hammocks, bottomlands, and in alluvium and outwashes from uplands. It has a compact, upright, dense, pyramidal growth habit more typical of a multi-stemmed shrub than a single-trunked tree. It grows at a slow rate to a height of perhaps 30 to 35 ft. with an 8 to 12 ft. spread and flowers at 2 to 3 years old. The trunk on large specimens can grow to more than 3 ft. in diameter, and frequently grows straight up through the center of the crown. Branches are typically numerous, small in diameter with brown, wooly hairs. The leaves are very thick and leathery, without teeth, and have a smooth, shiny surface above and a fuzzy, rusty color below. The leaves are 5–8 in. long, simple, alternate, and oval to elliptical. The leaves can persist on the tree for approximately two years. The terminal flower bud is ¾–1 ¼ in. long, is brown and pubescent, and tapers at the apex. The tree flowers from late spring to fall; producing 6–8 in. wide fragrant, showy, white, saucer-shaped flowers. The fruit is an aggregate of dry, cylindrical, hairy, 3–5 in. long carpels that turn red/red-brown with age. Each follicle contains one ½ in. long bright red seed. The slightly flattened seed remains attached to the open pod by a thin, elastic thread. Pollinators, especially beetles, are attracted to the pollen that is high in protein.

Fontes e Créditos

  1. (c) 潘立傑 LiChieh Pan, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/plj/761521404/
  2. Adaptado por Tricia LeBlanc de uma obra de (c) Wikipedia, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://hub.toolforge.org/P3151:83074?lang=
  3. (c) Wikipedia, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_grandiflora
  4. (c) t_kok, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/538166

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