Magnolia grandiflora L.

Southern Magnolia; Bull Bay; Flowering Magnolia

Tree

Perennial

Vascular

Southern Magnolia is a large native evergreen tree in the Magnolia family (Magnoliaceae). It is native to the Coastal Plain of Alabama, generally south of the Blackbelt region. Southern Magnolia can be found state wide in Alabama, but occurrences north of the Coastal Plain represent plants that have persisted or spread from cultivation. Southern Magnolia grows to a height of sixty to eighty feet. It has alternate, simple leaves that are oval to elliptic in outline. The margins are entire. The upper surface is waxy and dark green while the lower surface is a dull green in color and covered in varying amounts of rusty pubescence. Flowers are produced singly at the ends of branches. The large showy flowers are fragrant and have six to fifteen white tepals (sepals and petals that are similar in color and shape). The fruit is a cone-shaped aggregate of follicles. Each follicle splits to release a single large seed with a red aril (a seed appendage that is high in fat or oil content). The seed remain attached to the follicle by a silky thread. For many people Southern Magnolias, Live Oaks and Spanish Moss represent the South. Southern Magnolia is a popular ornamental that is readily available in nurseries. Many cultivars have been developed, including dwarf forms that remain under twenty feet in height. Southern Magnolia prefers an acidic, sandy soil that is rich in organic matter. Although very shade tolerant, the best shape and flowering occurs on plants grown in full sun.--A. Diamond

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Native FAC+ (NWPL)

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