Southern Magnolia

Magnolia grandifolia

Size: 3, 7, 15 & 30 Gallon Availability

Tree
Max size: 65’ tall x 50’ wide
Average size: 50′ tall x 40′ wide

Usually Moist, Moist to Dry
Loam, Sand
Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Tolerant of salty winds and occasional salt spray, like what would be present during major storms

AKA: Bull Bay, Large Tree Magnolia

This evergreen southern staple blooms from late spring to early summer with large white blossoms. It gets interesting and inedible redish fruits that ripen in late summer to early fall. It is considered a specimen for foliage, as its leaves are a dark and glossy green on one side and a textured brown on the underside. The seedpods are eaten and spread by squirrels, opossums, and birds. The wood is hurricane wind-resistant. It is primarily pollinated by beetles, and the development of the blooms themselves evolved to encourage and improve that pollination.  It is also a larval host plant for spicebush swallowtail butterfly, eastern tiger swallowtail, tuliptree silkmoth, and many other moth and butterfly species.

It’s wood is used in cabinet-making. The red seeds contain a fatty oil that is useful in soap manufacturing. The flowers can be ground into a paste and used to make cookies. If you use a decoction of the bark to wash, it helps relieve the itching and overheating from sun poisoning. The bark can also be used to treat malaria and rheumatism.