Magnolias are deciduous or evergreen trees and shrubs. Buds are valvate with two overlapping scales. The terminal bud is much larger than the lateral buds. Leaves are alternate with entire leaf margins. Stipular scars encircle the twig. Flowers are usually perfect, terminal, large, and showy. Fruit consists of numerous carpels developing into a cone-like structure.
Several magnolias are planted on lawns and in parks for their attractive flowers and foliage. The one most commonly planted is Magnolia 3soulangeana, which has attractive purplish-pink flowers early in spring before the leaves develop. This tree is not covered since it is a horticultural hybrid that does not escape into the wild.
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Leaves are wedge-shaped or rounded at the base. |
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Leaves are 4—91/2 inches (10—24 cm) long. Foliage is dark green above and soft, hairy, and light green beneath. The leaf base is rounded. Twigs are reddish-brown and glossy. Flowers are greenish-yellow and 21/4—31/4 inches (53/4—81/2 cm) high. May flowers are followed by a brown, cone-like fruit with red seeds in September or October. |
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Magnolia acuminata–Cucumbertree Magnolia |
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Leaves are 10—24 inches (25—61 cm) long, medium green above, and pale green and hairy beneath with a wedge-shaped leaf base. Twigs and buds are glabrous. Flowers are white with an unpleasant odor. The large flowers are 71/4—10 inches (181/2—25 cm) across, and borne above the foliage in May or June. Fruit has a rosy cast to the cone. Seeds are red and ripen in September or October. Tree is often multi-stemmed. |
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Magnolia tripetala–Umbrella Magnolia |
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Leaves are heart-shaped, or auriculate, with ear-shaped lobes at the base. The huge leaves are 12—32 inches (301/2—81 cm) long. Foliage is bloomy and finely hairy beneath. Flowers are creamy white, fragrant, and 10—12 inches (25—301/2 cm) across. May and June flowers are followed by rosy fruit in September or October. |
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Magnolia macrophylla–Bigleaf Magnolia |
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Cucumbertree Magnolia–Magnolia acuminata
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| Cucumbertree Magnolia | |||
The cucumbertree attains an average height of 60—80 feet and a diameter of 2—4 feet. It occurs singly or in groups in the eastern half of the state, principally in the northeastern section. Moving southward toward the Ohio River it becomes rare, as it was almost completely removed from the original forests by lumbering. Named selections are available in the nursery trade. ‘Miss Honeybee' is smaller in statue and has yellow flowers.
Greenish to white in color, the leaves are pubescent and covered by a single-keeled scale that leaves a distinct scar encircling the twig. The terminal bud may be an inch long, but the lateral buds are half the terminal bud's size. Twigs are reddish-brown and glossy. This is the only one of our native magnolias that has rough bark and a small leaf. The bark is aromatic and bitter to taste. The young twigs are a lustrous reddish-brown. The mature bark of the trunk is rather thin, dark brown, furrowed, and broken into thin scales.
Leaves are 4—91/2 inches (10—24 cm) long and 2—4 inches (5—10 cm) wide. The leaves are alternate with an oblong outline; a short, pointed apex; and a rounded leaf base. Foliage is silky, or hairy, when unfolding, becoming smooth to slightly silky with age. Leaf margins are entire and often have wavy edges. Foliage is dark green above and lighter beneath.
Flowers are simple, greenish-yellow, large and 21/4—31/4 inches (53/4-81/2 cm) high. May flowers are followed by a brown, cone-like fruit with red seeds. This magnolia has smaller flowers than those of the other native magnolias. The upright petals are whitish-green to yellow. The fruit is a smooth, dark red, often crooked "cone" that is 21/2—3 inches (6—71/2 cm) long and somewhat resembles a small cucumber. The seeds ripen in September or October, are 1/2 inch (13 mm) long, and are covered with a pulpy, scarlet coat that attracts birds. The true seeds hang by thin cords from the opening "cones."
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| Bigleaf Magnolia |
The wood is light, soft, close-grained, durable, and of a light yellowish-brown color. It is cut and used extensively along with the tulip tree for cabinet making and other similar uses. Besides being a valuable timber tree, it is quite desirable for roadside and ornamental planting.
Bigleaf Magnolia–Magnolia macrophylla
This is a tree similar to the umbrella magnolia but with larger leaves. Some leaves reach a length of nearly 3 feet. Bigleaf magnolia is very rare in Ohio and is reported from one locality in northwestern Jackson County. The tree is sometimes planted for ornamental purposes although it is short-lived, prone to disease, and rather unattractive.
Its huge leaves are 12—32 inches (301/2—81 cm) long. Leaf bases are heart-shaped, or auriculate, and have ear-shaped lobes at the base. Foliage color is medium green above and paler beneath. The leaf is bloomy and finely hairy beneath.
Flowers are creamy white, fragrant, and 10—12 inches (25—301/2 cm) across. Despite their size, the flowers are usually hidden by the oversized leaves. May and June flowers are followed by rosy fruit in September or October.
The bark is smooth and beech-like. Branches are stout and spreading. The branches form an open, crowned tree in uncrowded conditions. In forest conditions stems are tall and straight.
Umbrella Magnolia–Magnolia tripetala
Umbrella magnolia is a tree that rarely exceeds 40 feet in height. The tree is made conspicuous by its large leaves and showy, white flowers. This southeastern Ohio native is found in Scioto, Jackson, Vinton, and Hocking counties.
Leaves are 10—24 inches (25—61 cm) long. The foliage is medium green above and pale green and hairy beneath. Umbrella magnolia has a wedge-shaped leaf base. Twigs and buds are glabrous. The trunk and branches are a mottled, light gray color. Widespreading main branches form an open, irregular crown. The tree is often multi-stemmed.
Flowers are white with an unpleasant odor. The large flowers are 71/4—10 inches (181/2—25 cm) across but borne above the foliage in May or June. Fruit has a rosy cast to the immature cone. Seeds are red and ripen in September or October.
This species grows in dense thickets along small streams in the rugged hill sections of western Scioto County, now a part of the Shawnee State Forest. Occasionally the umbrella magnolia is planted for ornamental purposes or used as grafting understock for cultivars of other magnolias.
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| Umbrella Magnolia | |