Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Magnoliids: Magnoliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Magnolia macrophylla
FAMILY
Magnoliaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may enjoy reading South Carolina's Native Magnolias by Richard B. Figlar.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Learn more about Magnolia from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Magnolia macrophylla
FAMILY
Magnoliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH The phylogeny of Magnolia in eastern North America (Tobe, 1998)
Magnolia macrophylla ssp. macrophylla
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 3 (1997)
Magnolia macrophylla
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 080-02-003:
Magnolia macrophylla FAMILY Magnoliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Magnolia macrophylla
COMMON NAME:
Bigleaf Magnolia, Large-leaved Magnolia, Umbrella Tree
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Trees You Want to Know (Peattie, 1934); illustration by F.A. Michaux dcp34_p35
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_381
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_mama2_001_lvd
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_m_macrophylla2
February
)
JK Marlow jkm070506_012
May Gaston County NC
Redlair Farms
)
JK Marlow jkm070506_015
May Gaston County NC
Redlair Farms
Leaves whitened and hairy below, mostly 18-28" long, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
)
JK Marlow jkm070506_017
May Gaston County NC
Redlair Farms
)
JK Marlow jkm070506_023
May Gaston County NC
Redlair Farms
Leaf blades heart-shaped or lobed at base, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm070506_038
May Gaston County NC
Redlair Farms
Bark brown, thin, slightly warty, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
)
JK Marlow jkm070506_043
May Gaston County NC
Redlair Farms
False whorls of leaves at branch tips impart an umbrella-like appearance, per South Carolina's Native Magnolias (Figlar, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm070506_049
May Gaston County NC
Redlair Farms
Bark thin, gray, smooth, forming small inconspicuous plates on older trees, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm070506_082
May Gaston County NC
Redlair Farms
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmmmacrophylla_1
May
Petals frequently have conspicuous purplish blotches near base inside, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmmmacrophylla_6
May
Petals 15-20cm long, per Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988).
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmmmacrophylla_7
May
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmmmacrophylla_92
May
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmmmacrophylla_93
May
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_m_macrophylla_2
August
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_m_macrophylla_big
August
The largest simple leaves of any tree in North America, per Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995).
)
Ron Lance rwl_mmacrophylla2
September
In cultivation
Fruit pinkish when ripe, finely hairy, globular, 3-4" long, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
COMPARE
fruits that are an aggregate of follicles
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_m_macro_cnc_1
November
Chattahoochee Nature Center
Terminal buds often >25mm long w pointed tip, covered w white-silky hairs, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmmmacrophylla_tripetal
Month Unknown
On left M. tripetala, on right M. macrophylla.
COMPARE
leaves of Magnolia species
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmmmacrophylla_wl3
Month Unknown
Lower surface of leaf white and with fine silvery hairs, per Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Magnolia macrophylla
FAMILY
Magnoliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Magnolia macrophylla
FAMILY
Magnoliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
The phylogeny of Magnolia in eastern North America (Tobe, 1998)
Magnolia macrophylla ssp. macrophylla
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 3
Magnolia macrophylla
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 080-02-003:
Magnolia macrophylla
FAMILY
Magnoliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Magnolia macrophylla
898
Tree
Perennial
Habitat: Mesic forests, primarily over limestone, other calcareous sedimentary rocks (calcareous shales, sandstones, etc.), or mafic rocks (east of the Blue Ridge), mesic hammocks in the Coastal Plain, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Rare or waifs in GA-NC-SC
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate, crowded at branch tips & appearing whorled ("umbrella-like")
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Creamy-white
Radially symmetrical
3 sepals
6-12 petals
Numerous stamens
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer
Aggregate of follicles
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p299
- Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers (Campbell, Hutson, Sharp, & Hutson, 1962) p048
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p208
- Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America (Williams, 2007) p246
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p149
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p238
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p108
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p32
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p208
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