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Magnoliaceae
Southern Magnolia
Magnolia grandiflora
Dignity, perseverance, Southern grace.
- Family
- Magnoliaceae
- Genus
- Magnolia
- Native to
- Southeastern United States
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- Evergreen tree
- Height
- 18–27 m (60–90 ft)
- Sunlight
- Full sun to part shade
- Soil
- Rich, moist, well-drained, slightly acidic
- Water
- Moderate
- Hardiness
- 6–10
- Lifespan
- Long-lived (80–120 years)
Did you know
- Magnolias are among the oldest flowering plants on Earth—fossilized magnolias have been found dating back 95 million years, predating bees and modeled to be pollinated by beetles.
- Each pristine white flower can grow up to 12 inches across, exuding a powerful lemon-vanilla fragrance detectable from yards away on humid Southern nights.
- The state flower of Mississippi and Louisiana, and the tree on the Mississippi state flag—southerners often plant magnolia at the birth of a daughter as a long-living family marker.
- Magnolia petals are tough and waxy specifically because beetles—their original pollinators—are clumsy and bite the flower; the toughness was an evolutionary defense.
- A magnolia planted at Mount Vernon by George Washington still stands today after over 230 years—the same tree provided seedlings to gardens across the early American republic.
Color meanings
0
dignity
1
perseverance
2
Southern grace