Smithsonian Gardens
Smithsonian Gardens
Smithsonian Gardens
Plant Explorer
Search
Map
Browse
Features
Tours
Taxon
English
Taxon
Magnolia grandiflora
1 / 128
Next
Common name:
Southern Magnolia, Bull Bay, Laurel Magnolia
Family:
Magnoliaceae (Magnolia)
Distribution:
SE USA to Texas
Habitat:
Moist woodlands, hardwood hammocks, bottomlands, and outwashes from uplands
Hardiness:
0 - 30 F
Life form:
Evergreen tree
Foliage characteristics:
Simple, alternate, leathery ovate leaves. Dark, shiny green above, and light green to brown beneath. It has fuzz on the underside of the leaves. Up to 10" long.
Fruit characteristics:
Cone-like clusters which turn red and then split to reveal red shiny seeds suspended on fine threads. Mature in late summer to early fall. 3-5" long.
Bloom Time:
May to June
Bark characteristics:
Gray-brown
Average height:
60-80'
Structure:
Pyramidal to rounded
Bloom characteristics:
Large white flowers typically have six petals. 8-12" diameter.
Description:
The magnolia family is from the early days of angiosperm (flowering plant) evolution. If we compare it to another flowering tree, we will immediately see how different the magnolia’s cone-like fruits are, and how its flowers grow in spirals rather than the typical whorl. This old plant is still going strong, and the tree’s beauty means humans have planted it far and wide. Magnolia grandiflora, or the southern magnolia, in particular is found nearly everywhere in the southeastern US. A striking tree, everything about the southern magnolia is large; its glossy, evergreen leaves, its hand-sized, cream colored flowers, and its overall height. This tree brings beauty to humid, southern summers.
Links:
Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
•
NC State Extension
•
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Locations
1:
Enid A. Haupt Garden
(HAUPT)
• Accession: 2011-0500*A
2:
Freer Gallery
(FREER)
• Accession: 2011-0499*A
3:
Hirshhorn Museum
(HMSG)
• Accession: 2011-0185*A
4:
Hirshhorn Museum
(HMSG)
• Accession: 2011-0186*A
5:
Hirshhorn Museum
(HMSG)
• Accession: 2011-0187*A
6:
Museum Support Center
(MSC)
• Accession: 2011-2680*A • Provenance: From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin
7:
Museum Support Center
(MSC)
• Accession: 2011-2681*A • Provenance: From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin
8:
National Museum of American History
(NMAH)
• Accession: 2011-0779*A
9:
National Museum of American History
(NMAH)
• Accession: 2011-0780*A
10:
National Museum of American History
(NMAH)
• Accession: 2011-0788*A
11:
National Museum of American History
(NMAH)
• Accession: 2011-0789*A
12:
National Museum of American History
(NMAH)
• Accession: 2011-0862*A
13:
National Museum of Natural History
(NMNH)
• Accession: 2011-0916*A
14:
National Museum of the American Indian
(NMAI)
• Accession: 2011-1471*A
15:
National Museum of the American Indian
(NMAI)
• Accession: 2011-1472*A
16:
National Portrait Gallery
(NPG)
• Accession: 2011-0442*A
17:
National Portrait Gallery
(NPG)
• Accession: 2011-0444*A
Area
Individual