Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)

Plantae>Magnoliophyta>Magnoliopsida>Magnoliales>Magnoliaceae>Magnolia grandiflora L.

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) flower

Native to the coast from southernmost North Carolina south, this commonly planted and frequently escaped evergreen medium-large tree has large glossy dark green leaves and huge fragrant white flowers.

Orange Co., NC 6/22/03.

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) flower

Southern Magnolia is a common escape in the Sandhills region.

Moore Co., NC 6/18/05.

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) fruit

Ripening fruit.

Chapel Hill, NC 9/9/06.

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) leaves

The large, thick glossy dark green leaves are nearly unmistakeable. They are fragrant when crushed. The leaf undersides are normally a light green in escaped trees, most often rusty in planted ornamentals. The semi-evergreen Sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana) is smaller in every way, with glaucous leaf undersides, more fragrant leaves, and even more richly scented flowers.

Moore Co., NC 3/14/07.

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) bark

Bark of a small tree. The bark is smooth, except for the warty lenticels.

Moore Co., NC 3/14/07.

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) bark

Bark of a medium-sized tree.

Moore Co., NC 3/14/07.

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) bark

The bark of large trees is cracked into plates, more so than that of most other Magnolia species.

Chapel Hill, NC 9/9/06.

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) bark

Durham, NC 3/28/07.

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) forest

Southern Magnolia is a frequent escape from cultivation and can become dominant in suburban woodlands. It would be labelled as an invasive exotic if it weren't native to the southeastern corner of the state. The urban heat island effect may aid its northward spread in cities.

This photo shows a pure stand of Magnolia grandiflora (seedlings, saplings, and mature trees) in woodlands on the Duke University campus.

Durham, NC 3/28/07.

More information:
Floridata
Hilton Pond
Silvics Manual
Trees of Alabama and the Southeast
Trees of the Maritime Forest
University of Connecticut
Virginia Tech Dendrology

Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina

cwcook@duke.edu

All photographs and text ©2011 by Will Cook unless otherwise indicated