Ashe Magnolia

Magnolia macrophylla var. ashei
AKA: Magnolia ashei, Magnolia macrophylla ssp. ashei

Size: 3, 7, & 15 Gallon Availability

Tree
Max size: 30’ tall x 10’ wide
Average size: 20′ tall x 10′ wide

Usually Moist, Moist to Dry, Very Dry
Clay, Loam, Sand
Part Shade, Shade
No Salt Tolerance

AKA: Bigleaf Magnolia, Large-leaved Cucumber Tree, Umbrella Tree

A Florida endangered and endemic species. It’s decidious, and typically grown as a specimen understory tree. It’s prized for the large white flowers that bloom in the late spring; they are incredibly fragrant and only last a few days. It can take somewhere between 4-12 years for the first blooms to appear. The tree also has very large leaves; they’re green on both sides, as opposed to the two-toned leaves of M. grandiflora. It grows well on slopes, ravines, and other well-draining yet moist locations.

Its’ primary pollinators are beetles, for which it has evolved its flower structure to attract. It is a larval host plant for spicebush swallowtail butterfly, eastern tiger swallowtail, tuliptree silkmoth, and many other Lepidoptera species.

The wood if good for furniture and building materials. An infusion of the bark was historically used for stomachaches, cramps, diarrhea, indigestion, and more. (1)

Additional Sources: FNPS, Atlas of Florida Plants, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center