Magnolia is a really beautiful flower, with a distinguish aroma, that is usually used in perfumes.
Let’s find out more about the flower!
- Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species.
- It belongs in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae.
- It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol.
- Magnolia is an ancient genus.
- Appearing before bees evolved, the flowers are theorized to have evolved to encourage pollination by beetles.
- To avoid damage from pollinating beetles, the carpels of Magnolia flowers are extremely tough.
- Fossilized specimens of M. acuminata have been found dating to 20 million years ago, and of plants identifiably belonging to the Magnoliaceae date to 95 million years ago.
- Another aspect of Magnolia considered to represent an ancestral state is that the flower bud is enclosed in a bract rather than in sepals.
- The perianth parts are undifferentiated and called tepals rather than distinct sepals and petals.
- Magnolia shares the tepal characteristic with several other flowering plants near the base of the flowering plant lineage.
- The natural range of Magnolia species is a disjunct distribution, with a main center in east and southeast Asia.
- Also, it is a secondary center in eastern North America, Central America, the West Indies, and some species in South America.
- Charles Plumier (1646–1704) described a flowering tree from the island of Martinique in his Genera, giving it the name Magnolia, after the French botanist Pierre Magnol.
- The flowers of many species are considered edible.
- In parts of England, the petals of M. grandiflora are pickled and used as a spicy condiment.
- In some Asian cuisines, the buds are pickled and used to flavor rice and scent tea.
- In Japan, the young leaves and flower buds of Magnolia hypoleuca are broiled and eaten as a vegetable.
- Older leaves are made into a powder and used as seasoning. Dried, whole leaves are placed on a charcoal brazier and filled with miso, leeks, daikon, and shiitake, and broiled.
- There is a type of miso which is seasoned with magnolia, hoba miso.
- In parts of Japan, the leaves of M. obovata are used for wrapping food and cooking dishes.
- The oldest trees on the grounds of the White House are two southern magnolias planted between 1829 and 1837 by Andrew Jackson, in memory of his wife, Rachel, who died two weeks after Jackson won the election.
- The iconic southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is often considered the gold standard of the genus.
- Magnolias, particularly the deciduous varieties, can be grown in almost any region of the U.S., from the tip of Florida to as far north as Maine and Washington.
- Magnolias come in a wide array of cultivars that can accommodate the scale of any garden, from 15-foot shrubs to massive trees that can reach heights of 80 feet or more.
- Magnolia has brown or grey bark that is smooth when the plant is young. As the plant gets older, bark turns from smooth into scaly.
- They produces 1 ½ to 3 inches wide flower that consists of up to 18 leathery tepals (fused petals and sepals).
- Flower contains both male and female reproductive organs (monoecious plant).
- Color of the flower depends on the species and it can be white, yellow, pinkish, purple and green.
- Size of magnolia tree depends on the species. Smaller species are only 15 feet tall. Larger species can grow 80 feet in height.
- Tree has pyramidal crown that can reach 30 to 50 feet in diameter.
- Magnolia has dark green, oval shaped leaves that are covered with layer of wax.
- Leaves are evergreen and they are alternately arranged on the branches. Leaves have leathery texture and entire margin.
- There are 26 places in the United States called Magnolia.
- Magnolia, Arkansas is the county seat of Columbia County. Growing on the Columbia County courthouse square are of course many Magnolia trees.
- The Magnolia Blossom Festival happens every May where you can enjoy everything there is about the trees, learn more facts about Magnolias and eat at the World Championship Steak Cook-Off.
- Only two Hollywood films have “Magnolia” in the title. The local favorite Steel Magnolias (1989) and Magnolia (1999)
- There is also a Netflix original TV series under the title “Sweet Magnolias”.
- Mississippi claims the Magnolia as its state tree and its state flower.
- Since 1894, The Magnolia Bowl takes place every college football season between the LSU Tigers and Ole Miss. LSU leads the series 63-40-4.
- The flowers of a magnolia tree contain both male and female reproductive organs.
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