Magnolias
Around the globe, the magnolia tree symbolizes purity, nobility, and perseverance and, considering this tree’s exquisite blooms, it’s no wonder that it has become revered by so many cultures.
Today there are about 80 species of magnolia, of which half are tropical, and 33 of them are on display in the Garden. Their bloom period typically begins in late January or early February, weather permitting. Fossils reveal that magnolias date back 20 million years, making these one of the oldest living trees on the planet. It’s believed that, around 650 A.D., Buddhist monks in China planted a white-blooming Magnolia denudata at their temple as a symbol of purity, making it a garden deity. The White House magnolia tree, planted in the 1820s from a Tennessee sprout, lived through thirty-nine presidencies and appeared on the back of the $20 bill for 70 years.
Collection Highlights
The iconic, magnificent Magnolia campbellii is located along Strawberry Creek. Native to the Himalayas, this flowering deciduous tree is stunning in early winter when its dark pink flowers are visible before the leaves appear. (There’s a birds-eye view of this tree from the Deserts of the Americas Area.) Flower color can vary significantly within magnolia species and another Magnolia campbellii, located on the lower margin of the lawn, will produce bright white flowers. Both trees were collected as seeds in 1974 in West Benghal, India, by former Garden curator Dr. Bruce Bartholomew.
The unique structure of this ancient species evolved long before bees could work as a selective pressure in pollination. Instead, beetles are the pollinators of magnolia flowers. These insects’ mouths are designed primarily for chewing, not pollen collection from delicate flower parts, so in the process of harvesting pollen or nectar from the flowers, other plant parts are often consumed as well. Magnolia flowers can have sturdy, thick tepals (the petals and sepals look almost the same) that are able to withstand the beetle’s mastication.
The threat of extinction hangs over this genus, making the Garden’s collection important for future study and conservation. Six of our 33 kinds of magnolias are considered critically rare, endangered, or vulnerable in habitat. They are M. aromatica and M. sinica in China, and M. stellata in Japan. M. sharpii, M. tamaulipana and M. pacifica in Mexico.
The Garden’s Magnolia collection is nationally accredited by the American Public Gardens Association, which acknowledges our commitment to a high standard of curatorial care to maintain and preserve these living plants, and to share resources for conservation, research, and education. The Garden is also a participant in the Global Conservation Consortium for Magnolias.
Banner: Magnolia campbelli