The Mesmerizing Southern Magnolia

American Forests, Summer, 2001

In the Deep South, the southern magnolia is queen. With its glossy evergreen leaves and big, fragrant white blossoms, this native beauty is ubiquitous in southern landscapes-evoking both the melancholy of Faulkner and the melodrama of "Gone With The Wind."

From Old South to New South, this species has endured.

In fact, geologists believe magnolias are an ancient tree, dating to millions of years ago. More recently, the magnolia genus was named for Pierre Magnol (1638-1715), a physician to Louis XIV and director of a botanical garden at Montpelier. The southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), which is also known as bull bay, big-laurel, or large-flower magnolia, is one of at least 75 species in the genus. The tree occurs naturally along rich, marshy knolls and on the borders of river swamps and ponds.

The "tender" species of the magnolia genus, M. grandiflora thrives in hot, humid climates. So it's no wonder the southern magnolia is Louisiana's state flower and both the state tree and state flower of Mississippi. Even so, the species has a wide range, growing from central Florida along the eastern coastal plain to New York, along the Gulf Coast to Texas, and up the southern portion of Illinois (USDA growing zones 7 to 9). Introduced in Europe in the early 18th century, it is now grown all over the world.

Southern magnolias typically grow 60 to 80 feet tall, although the more majestic ones can stretch 90 or 100 feet. The mature trunk diameter is usually more than 3 feet and the crown spread stretches about 30 to 50 feet.

The species has a slow-to-medium growth rate with a pyramidal habit. It's low branching--usually right down to the ground--and it's best left that way; the magnolia has a shallow root system and the shade reduces the loss of moisture in the soil. That's especially important since the tree is happy in full sun.

Magnolia grandiflora is one of only two evergreen magnolias--the sweetbay magnolia, Magnolia virginiana, ranges from deciduous to semi-evergreen to completely evergreen, depending on the cold zone. The southern magnolia has alternate leaves, 4 to 5 inches wide and 5 to 10 inches long. They are dark glossy green on top with brown or rust-colored fuzz underneath. The leaves feel thick and stiff, almost leathery in texture. Given that tough surface, it's not surprising that leaf-eating insects seldom damage this tree. In fact, the tree is essentially pest-free.

Although this magnolia is evergreen, it drops its foliage all year round--steadily replacing the old with the new. The constant shedding means that lots of leathery foliage, which seems to take forever to decompose, accumulates under magnolias That's another reason to leave the tree branches growing close to the ground--to hide the mess. Besides, with all that tree litter, it's tough for much of anything else to compete under the magnolia's canopy.

One option is Liriope muscari, known as liriope or lilyturf. A tough, evergreen, grass-like ground cover, liriope seems designed to catch magnolia leaves and hide them from view while they decompose.

The southern magnolia may be cherished for its foliage, but it's coveted for its flowers.

M. grandiflora bears one of the largest blossoms of any cultivated tree. Creamy white with a sweet lemony fragrance, these showy plate-sized blooms can be 5 to 12 inches in diameter. The blossoms vary in the number of thick tepals, or petals, (six to 12) and last only two to four days. On the first day the blooms are cup-shaped; after that they open more fully to become saucer-shaped. Flowering begins in late May or early June and continues sporadically throughout the summer. The flower buds, which are protected by attractive downy pods, form early and decorate the branches of magnolias over the long winter months.

The fruit is an aggregate of follicles: a pinkish-red cone-like structure, about 5 inches long, that splits open between September and November to expose dark red seeds. As the seeds ripen, they begin to extrude from the fruit casing. But they hang on for a few days before falling to the ground, suspended only by short silky strands. This tree is a show-off even when it's dropping its seeds.

It's an attraction to animals, too. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers, red-cockaded woodpeckers, and red-eyed vireos, among other songbirds, feed on the berries, sharing them with squirrels and wild turkeys.

Magnolia bark is dark gray on young trees, becoming almost black and ridged and scaly on older trees. The straight-gained hardwood has a light to dark brown heartwood tinged with yellow or green. The sapwood is yellowish-white.

Magnolia lumber resembles yellow poplar and is used for veneer and venetian-blinds, interior trim and toys, bowls and boxes, pallets and pulp, doors and dowels.

The tree's buds, fruits, flowers, and branches are all prized for use in floral arrangements throughout the seasons. Walt until late fall to gather them, priming only errant limbs. Then let the leaves dry naturally. Prune carefully to avoid distorting the natural shape of the tree or leaving stubs on the remaining branches.