Magnolia grandiflora
Southern Magnolia
Pronunciation
mag-NOL-i-a grand-i-FLOR-a
Pronunciation Audio
Family
Genus
Nativity
North Carolina to Florida, Arkansas and Texas.
Growth Habit
Generally low-branching and pyramidal though showing great variation among cultivars.
Hardiness
6
Culture
Full or partial sun with moist, well-drained, slightly acidic, fertile soil. In northern limits it needs a sheltered location. Best time for transplanting is late winter/early spring.
Facultative Status
Facultative
Landscape Use
Specimen plant; may be used in groupings to create a screen or hedge.
Foliage
Lustrous, dark green above light green below, sometimes with rust-colored pubescence on underside.
Buds
Buds are rust-brown colored, tomentose, .75 to 1.25 inches long.
Bark
Smooth gray.
Flower
Creamy white, 8 to 12 inches in diameter.
Fruit
Rose red, 3 to 5 inches long. Ripen in September, October, November.
Propagation
Seed
Pests
None serious.
Cultivars
'Hessi' - upright growth.
'Little Gem' - smallest of the forms.