Sweet bay magnolia

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Magnolia virginiana
SWEET BAY MAGNOLIA

Magnoliaceae
E. North America

Location: map coordinates L-26 (northwest of Jason Library), N 39°11'10'' W 75°32'31''

Planting history: presently unknown.

Description:

  • small, semi-evergreen, deciduous tree, to 20’-30’ tall
  • etymology: Magnolia after Pierre Magnol (1638-1715), French botanist; virginiana = of Virginia
  • leaves large, simple, whitish beneath, semi-evergreen; spicy-scented when crushed; eaten by caterpillars of the beautiful tiger swallowtail butterfly
  • flowers fragrant, creamy white; around June in Delaware
  • fruit cone-shaped, ca 2” long; aggregate (of follicles)
  • seeds bright red, hang on silky threads from the fruit, rich in lipids; food for birds and small mammals
  • habitat along streams and swamps; part-shade to sunny
  • southern tree (native range coastal plain and piedmont from Florida north to New Jersey); hardy to USDA zone 5 (where it is not always hardy)

Native species, State Rank S5 (very common in Delaware), on Delaware coastal plain
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