Arkansas Tree Database

Southern Magnolia

Southern Magnolia

Scientific name:

Magnolia Grandiflora

Size:

55' tall by 50' wide, up to 80' tall

Leaves:

alternate, simple, 6"-8" long, elliptical with smooth untoothed margins, leathery; glossy dark green above with rust-brown downy undersides

Flowers:

large at 8" across, white, very fragrant, very showy; May

Fruit:

cone-like cluster of seeds ripening to rose-red, hanging from white filiments from separate follicles; September-November

Fall Interest:

broadleaf evergreen

Culture:

sun to partial sun; adaptable to soils but not extremes of wet or dry

Disease/Insect:

Use:

signature tree of the South; requires quite a bit of room so that severe pruning of the low spreading branches will not be necessary, as messy leaves and shallow roots discourage underplanting anyway

Cultivars:

'Little Gem,' a dwarf selection suitable for small spaces

Notes:

bark dark gray or gray-brown, smooth when young, lightly furrowed and scaly with age; straight trunk can reach 2' in diameter; one of the oldest known tree species in the world; native to southeastern US but widely planted in Arkansas and becoming more common in the wild

Resources:

Click thumbnail to enlarge images

Southern magnolia mature tree trunk Southern magnolia cultivar Southern magnolia cultivar Southern magnolia twig Southern magnolia flower Southern magnolia flower Southern magnolia flower Southern magnolia leaf, showing downy underside Southern magnolia leaves Southern magnolia leaf, 6"-8" long Southern magnolia leaves with flower bud Southern magnolia fruit Southern magnolia fruit, mature and exposing red seeds Southern magnolia fruit, mature and exposing red seeds Southern magnolia fruit Southern magnolia fruit and 6"-8" leaves