magnolia

Magnolia Plum. ex L.

A genus overview; characteristics vary between its species.

Magnolias include trees and shrubs, with evergreen foliage in some species and seasonally bare branches in others. Their flowers can precede the leaves or appear alongside them, while the leaves have smooth, unlobed edges and alternate positions on the stems. Flora of North America, volume 3: Magnolia

Botanical artwork associated with magnolia (Magnolia Plum. ex L.) — Rhodo botanical artwork inspired by magnolia; an artistic interpretation, not a botanical identification guide.

Botanical name

The record is the genus Magnolia. Kew uses Magnolia Plum. ex L.; Flora of North America cites Magnolia L. Both give the same publication, Species Plantarum 535 (1753), confirming the nomenclatural identity. Kew Plants of the World Online: Magnolia Flora of North America, volume 3: Magnolia

Recognizing the plant

Their conspicuous flower segments are called tepals. Numerous stamens and pistils are arranged in spirals around the flower centre. In North American magnolias, the fruit forms a cone-like cluster of woody compartments; when these open, brightly coloured seeds may hang from slender threads connecting them to the fruit. Flora of North America, volume 3: Magnoliaceae

Seasonality across the genus

Cambridge, England; cultivated Magnolia × soulangeana example

At Cambridge University Botanic Garden, saucer magnolia, Magnolia × soulangeana, flowers in spring before its leaves unfold. This garden hybrid combines Magnolia denudata and Magnolia liliiflora and produces a succession of large blooms. Cambridge University Botanic Garden: Magnolia × soulangeana

Native range

The genus has a broad but discontinuous native distribution: eastern Canada south to Brazil and the Caribbean, and from India across eastern Asia to the Kuril Islands and New Guinea. Kew Plants of the World Online: Magnolia

Ecological relationships

Southern magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora, provides a documented example of beetle pollination within the genus. Its tough, showy flowers have a lemon-like scent. Cambridge University Botanic Garden: Magnolia grandiflora

Botanical sources

Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.