Magnolia grandiflora

COMMON NAME: Southern Magnolia, Evergreen Magnolia; Bull Bay

FAMILY: Magnoliaceae

GROWTH HABIT: Tree to 60 - 80 ft. in height with a spread of 30 - 50 ft. Densely pyramidal, low-branching, stately evergreen tree.

FOLIAGE: Alternate, simple, evergreen. Obovate-oblong or elliptic, 5 - 10 in. long, less than half as wide, obtusely short acuminate or obtuse, Dark green and lustrous above, often rusty- pubescent beneath. Margin smooth or slightly wavy. Petiole stout, about 1 -2 in. long.

BUDS: Rusty-pubescent.

BARK: Smooth gray

FLOWERS: Perfet, creamy white, fragrant, 8 - 12 in. in diameter, solitary. Usually with 6 petals, each petal thick, concave, broadly obovate and 4 - 6 in long. Flowers during the summer. Strong lemony fragrance.

FRUIT: Rose-red, upright, aggregate of follicles, 3 - 5 in. long, splitting open to expose the red seeds; usually ripen in October-November and become brown. Densely pubescent.

NATIVE HABITAT: North Carolina to Florida and Texas.