Family: Magnoliaceae
Species: Magnolia grandiflora L.
Common name: Magnolia - English: Southern Magnolia -Deutsch: Immergrüne Magnolie
Etymology
Linnaeus bestowed the genus name in honour of the renowned French botanist and director of the Montpellier botanical garden, Pierre Magnol. The specific epithet grandiflora highlights the extraordinary size of its flowers.
Description
Native to the south-eastern United States of America; introduced to Europe in the 18th century. Magnolia grandiflora is a tree with a pyramidal form and dense foliage, bearing thick leaves from base to apex. Although its growth is slow, it is constant, and the tree can reach 25–30 metres in height, making it very long-lived—often centuries-old. It is an evergreen, broadleaf species with alternate, elliptical leaves that are rigid and leathery. The upper surfaces are glossy and dark green, while the undersides are rusty-brown and slightly hairy. The leaves last around two years before falling and being renewed.
Its large, solitary flowers stand out among the shiny foliage. They are fragrant, creamy-white, and waxy in texture. Blooming primarily in summer, they are pollinated by insects (entomogamy). The fruit is shaped like a pine cone, containing reddish seeds that are released when mature.
The trunk is simple and straight, clad in blackish-grey, rough, thick bark, and can reach a circumference of about 1.5 metres.
Uses
Beyond its aesthetic appeal, Magnolia grandiflora has medicinal properties: oil extracted from its bark can lower blood pressure and regulate heartbeat, imparting a sense of well-being and relaxation. It is also used as an anti-inflammatory and in remedies for rheumatic complaints. Furthermore, magnolia extracts feature in perfumes, oils, incense, and beauty masks for moisturising dry skin.
The wood is compact and rugged, making it suitable for carpentry, owing to its ease of working and long-lasting durability.
The large white flowers have edible petals that can be fried or breaded.
Notes and Curiosities
Magnolias have prehistoric origins: fossil evidence of over 80 species of magnolia dates back 95 million years. Botanists consider magnolias “primitive” flowers because the Magnoliaceae family represents some of the earliest Angiosperms to appear on Earth. They have undergone significant contraction in range following the climatic changes of the Quaternary, and today they are relict species found in warm to temperate regions of the northern hemisphere (boreal).
Around 1740, the first magnolia specimen arrived in Nantes, France, brought by a merchant who regularly journeyed between Europe and America. Magnolias are commonly grown in parks and gardens for their beauty and resistance to air pollution. They prefer a sunny environment and mild climate—although they dislike frost, they tolerate hot, humid conditions well.
Historically, some American Indians believed it was risky to sleep beneath a magnolia tree, as the intense fragrance of its flowers might be lethal.
At the Heller botanical garden entrance, you can see a specimen of M. grandiflora, while a majestic plant stands near the associated villa. The leaves are so glossy that it is challenging to photograph them in bright sunlight. Most striking are the flowers, immense and spotlessly white. One can marvel at their intense scent and fleshy petals at close range. Their “primitive” structure becomes apparent when the petals open, revealing the reproductive organs on a conical axis: yellow, overlapping stamens around the middle, while near the top, crowded like pine cone scales, are the pistils. Once the ovary is fertilised, these stamens detach and drop, leaving behind visible scars where the sepals, petals, and stamens once joined. The infructescence remains, first greenish then turning brown, composed of many small slits that open upon ripening to release a single seed—easily spotted by certain birds.