Arkansas Tree Database

Scientific name:

Magnolia Virginiana

Size:

18' tall by 12' wide, up to 35' tall

Leaves:

alternate, simple, 4"-6" long, oval with smooth untoothed margins, covered when they unfold with long white silky hairs which soon fall off; bright green and shiny above and silvery-white beneath

Flowers:

white, 3"-4" across, very fragrant; April-June

Fruit:

cone-like cluster revealing bright red seeds suspended from the open follicles by white filiments; July-October

Fall Interest:

broadleaf evergreen or semi-evergreen (falling in winter or persisting until spring)

Culture:

sun to partial sun; rich, moist, acidic, well-drained soil

Disease/Insect:

Use:

specimen, large evergreen screen, patio tree, underneath utility lines, upright evergreen accent, woodland garden

Cultivars:

Notes:

bark light or silvery gray to dark gray, thin, smooth; usually multi-trunked; foliage habit is layered and open; the first magnolia grown in Europe, in the late 17th century; in the wild a reliable indicator of the presence of groundwater; native to Arkansas