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The Evolution of Magnolias

(Please read Copyright Notice at bottom)

© Linda Saxon Nix

Magnolia grandiflora: A native of the southeastern US., it is one of the most magnificent of the fragrant trees. It has large, thick, leathery dark green leaves which are up to 10 inches long. In the spring, they have a golden to rust color on their undersides. The large evergreen trees may grow to 90' tall, and the fragrant white blossoms that have smooth, almost velvet-looking tepals (petals) are 8-12 inches across. It is the state flower of both Mississippi and Louisiana. Mississippi is called "The Magnolia State" because it is our state flower, and because of the large number of natural growing magnolia trees. Louisiana, however, is not called the magnolia state. It is called the Pelican state because the pelican is their state bird.

The Magnolia There are about 223 species of Magnolia in existence in the Magnoliaceae family, and about 80 in the United States. They exist all over the world. Some are evergreen and some are deciduous. This web page is predominantly about the Magnolia grandiflora. It is characterized by large, single, terminal flowers; by large leathery green leaves; and by cone-shaped fruits. It is an evergreen, but does drop its leaves while creating new ones. In the proper surroundings, they grow in the wild, seeding themselves by nature. They are probably helped by the squirrels who eat their seeds and either drop or "plant" them while storing away food.     "The Evolution" In the Deep South, Magnolias begin budding in late March and April. By mid-April, the trees are loaded with blossoms. By mid-June, the blossoms are usually gone here on the Coast, but the seed pod continues to develop and become colorful throughout the fall. I believe that the season starts later and lasts later the further north you go. I'm always a bit sad when the last blossom of the season is gone, and I await with eager anticipation for the next blooming season when I am again out with my camera adding more photos to my collection!   Follow my photographs and watch the progression of the magnolia blossom as it evolves from bud to seed. Different flowers are used to depict the evolution on this page. Due to the graphic nature of this page, please allow time to load. Enjoy each stage as you read about it while the next stage is loading.   All photographs on this page are originals. Like all of my other magnolia photos, these are copyrighted by me. All rights reserved. Permission must be obtained to use, copy, reproduce or publish in any medium. Read at Bottom.   This is how the magnolia develops: The bud first appears at the tip of a branch wrapped in a tan sheath, or bud scale. Maddening to me, sometimes the squirrels eat this part, cheating me of another unveiling of beauty. If not chewed by the squirrels, the sheath falls away and the bud begins to open. A blossom can have from 9 to 14 petals, or tepals. The petals begin to part. Then, the blossom opens. The basic Magnolia grandiflora has 9 petals in 3 layers. Some cultivars may have more. The outer of the 3 whorls of tepals represent the sepals, and the inner two whorls correspond to the petals, but since they all look alike, they are collectively referred to as tepals. Each year it seems that the squirrels become more brazen in attacking the blossoms. All over my front lawn I see buds gnawed off and petals on the ground. I know that all creatures need to find food, but can't they stay away from my magnolias? They have certainly buried enough acorns, for I have tiny oaks sprouting everywhere.    The open flower goes through several transformations. The blossom stays beautiful only for a short time, perhaps a day or two. In fact, depending on the temperature, it can go from pristine to past its prime in just one day. The pristine beauty of a newly opened, perfectly shaped magnolia... still vibrantly white, with its stamens compact and intact. The center contain the reproductive parts that later form the seed pod. The flowers are cup-like and very fragrant. The carpels are the crown of greenish-gold loops that are the female parts. (They turn brown as they age and are fertilized.) Around their base are numerous rings of white and purple-bottomed pollen-baring stamens. After fertilization occurs (usually by beetles), The spirally-arranged stamens loosen from the ovaries, which later become the cone-like fruit, fall off, and sometimes collect in the conclave tepals. The receptacle (the elongate floral axis) begins to show as the stamens start falling off. In some varieties or cultivars, it is a bright red; in others, brown, giving color to the blossom.     As the ovaries begin to turn brown, this signals that the blossom is in its decline. The leaves begin to turn first a creamy white,or ivory, then becomes more of a tan. Finally, the petals turn brown, dry up and fall off, leaving the beginnings of the seed pod.   The Seed Pod, or Fruit The styles and stigmas turn black and dry up, and the ovaries begin to swell, each developing into a frit (follicle). The fruits remain attached to the elongated receptacle, forming a cone. As the fruit enlarges, one seed forms in each follicle. The outer coat of each fruit becomes fleshy and begins to take on a rosy tint. At this stage, squirrels begin to eat the fruits in my neighborhood. Many fruiting stems are found on the ground.   By the time it reaches its full size, it has turned a magnificent red. The outer coat of each seed becomes fleshy and red as the fruit ripens. In the fall, the magnolia tree looks beautiful at this stage. Finally, the follicles split open and the seeds dangle from it by a slender thread formed from the seed stalk. The shiny, slick seeds are about the size of a watermelon seed. From these seeds, another magnolia tree is born. If you want to make sure you see the seeds, pick the pods and bring them inside until they reach full size and have turned pink to red. They will begin to pop out before long. All images are copyrighted; however, they may be downloaded for school projects only. To see and read more about the Magnolia Seed Pod, Click Here: About Magnolia Trees Magnolia gives its name to the family Magnoliaceae, and the name commemorates a French botanist, Pierre Magnol, Professor of Botany and Director of the Botanic Gardens, Montpelier, during the latter part of the seventeenth and the early part of the eighteenth centuries (1638 - 1715).       The Tree (This tree no longer exists. Hurricane Katrina destroyed it. It was a source of several of my good magnolia photographs, as it was always loaded with blossoms.)   Propagation: Magnolias thrive in fairly rich, moist, peaty or sandy loam, but can grow satisfactorily in any garden soil. Most magnolias are grown from seeds, from cuttings, by grafting and by layering. Rare kinds are sometimes propagated by grafting in winter or spring in a greenhouse. The period between sowing of the seed and germination may be as long as 18 months. Magnolia Grandiflora grown from seed may take from 15 - 20 years to produce a blossom. Because of pollination, the blossoms may not be exactly like the parent plant. Trees that are grafted bloom much sooner. How to plant the seeds: Seeds should be sown in a fresh state, and not allowed to dry out. Remove the seeds just before the pod bursts open or immediately after. Remove the red-orange coating. This can be done more easily if you soak them in water for a few days. Squeeze out the hard, black seeds and wash them in dishwashing liquid to remove the oily coating that prevents them from absorbing moisture. Sow in a light compost of two parts peat, one part loam and one part sand. Don't let the seeds dry out. Cover with 1/2" of compost. Cover the tray or pot to maintain moisture and protect the seed. They should germinate in about four weeks. Pot them after about four weeks, making sure the roots don't dry out. I warm climates, you may have to put them through a "stratification" process, which entails putting cleaned seeds in with a mixture of peat and sand or vermiculite and store them in a labeled plastic bag in the refrigerator between 35 º and 37 º for two months. Be sure not to let your seeds dry out either way you plant them. In colder climates, you may not be able to pot them outside. Place the seeds in a bag containing a damp, sterile medium such as peat or grit, seal and label and put in the refrigerator at about 40 º. In February, sow the seeds under glass at temperatures of 64-68 º. With one or two exceptions, the Magnolias are not well adapted for planting in lime soils. They like deep, well-drained loam and benefit by a little peat or compost placed about the roots at planting time. Soil should be well aerated. Transplanting isn't advised because injury to large roots generally leads to ill health. They shouldn't be planted very close together. In order to blossom, they need to be planted where they can get plenty of sunshine. From my observations, the sunny side of a magnolia has many blossoms; the side shaded out by other trees seldom has a blossom. Please note that I get my "how to grow" information from books... I'm not a horticulturist, so I can't answer all of your questions. I've never had to plant seeds. Around my house, the seeds fall to the ground in the woods and I'm always finding new tree shoots. Guess I'm lucky, huh?   Varieties of Magnolias: There are about 80 species of trees and shrubs in the genus "Magnolia". They are native to the eastern United States, but varieties and cultivars are grown as far north as Canada. Some of them have the largest leaves and flowers of any trees in the temperate region. To see photos of some of the other varieties, click on the Magnolia Button: Having a problem with your magnolia tree? Please read the information below very carefully. I constantly get questions from people wanting to know something important about their particular magnolia tree. I'm a photographer and a southerner who loves magnolias. I am not a tree expert, and I don't know everything about magnolia trees. What I am about to say may sound unfriendly, but I have a very busy life, and even if I were paid to give you advice, I can't answer all of your questions. Since Ican no longer answerquestions, please don't e-mail me asking what to do about your magnolia tree. Please contact an expert. To try to help you, I have compiled a list of Internet sites that you may browse through that perhaps can answer your many questions. Also, I've listed some of questions on an information page. If I don't have the information on my pages, I don't know it. I cannot/will not answer your questions for the following reasons: (1) I don't know everything about magnolia trees; (2) I could give you some incorrect information and be held responsible, or worse yet, mess up your tree; (3) I do not have the time to research each person's problem and report back to them. (4) I got my information for my magnolia pages from doing research on them myself. I bought books, went to libraries, and searched the web for what I needed to know. You often learn best when you do some of the work yourself. More than likely, you want to know why your magnolia tree isn't blooming or why it is shedding leaves, or how to prune it. I answer some of the questions in the links below. Your best bet, if your question can't be found in the links below, or links on that page, is to call your local county extension agent, or a local nursery or a landscape gardener. Many times information is free. Sometimes you have to purchase a book if you really want to learn about something. It may just takes a little work on your part. There is a vast wealth of information on the Internet just waiting to be found. Also, you may want to plan a visit to your local public library and look in the reference section - in the gardening and botany sections. They have Reference Librarians there to help you, and books contain a wealth of information. They existed before the Internet made it so easy to forget about them. Being a librarian, I feel that books are still important. Amazon.com has several books on the growth and care of magnolias. If you want to search the Internet, go to www.google.com and type in something like, "best time to prune magnolias" and see what comes up. Telling me that you did not find the answer to your particular question on my information pages will not prompt a reply. Sorry. Thank you for visiting "The Evolution of Magnolias", which was designed as a teaching tool about the phases of bloom of a magnolia flower. Begin your adventure: Magnolia Information Questions and Answers about Magnolias     Purchase Magnolia Images This page is a personal web page provided for information and educational purposes by photographer Linda Saxon Nix of Southern Creations, Inc. While use is allowed (by following stipulated use guidelines below and downloading them) for school students for school projects at no charge, actual print copies of photographs cannot be provided for any reason without a reasonable charge. These images and other magnolia images that are found here can be ordered at Southern Creation's Purchase Page. www.southerncreations.com       Background music: "A Summer Place"   Sign My Guest Book View My Guest Book       nixlindanospam@bellsouth.net (Copy and paste to foil spammers - remove the word "nospam" from the above e-mail address - I get about 200 spam mails per day)   Links to My Sites: Did you enjoy this page? Please visit some of my other pages! The Essence of Magnolias The Essence, Page 2 Links My Water Garden Biloxi Travel Page Divorce Recovery Links A True Love Story Spanish Moss Site His Plan For Your Life Great Blue Heron Comes The Dawn Original Magnolia Paintings Grief: Dealing With Loss The Evolution of a Magnolia Blossom The Beginning Experience My Southern Garden Mardi Gras Prayers for Hope and Serenity Christmas Sites Index Magnolia Photos Magnolia Information Garden of Peace and Serenity Magnolia Seed Pods Winter on the Gulf Coast Thanksgiving Pages Fragrance of a Magnolia Purchase Magnolia Images Southern Creations Web Site Questions and Answers about Magnolias       This page was created July 19, 1998 Updated January April 27, 2006.   Copyright Notice: Usage Rights All magnolia images on this page and all of my web pages are copyrighted images (Copyright 1997 - 2006 and beyond) by Linda Saxon Nix). None of my magnolias are in public domain. They may not be downloaded, printed, manipulated, made into web graphics or Paint Shop Pro tubes, used on personal or corporate web pages, used as art reference,  reproduced electronically or digitally, used in or placed in any image or photography gallery, online or print without my explicit, written permission. If you see anyone offering any of my magnolias in any form on the Internet, please let me know. Exceptions: This is the only page from which students may download images for school projects.   Educational Use K-12 Students: My magnolia images on the Evolution of Magnolias page may be used by school students who do reports and research papers for class projects. You must e-mail me and let me know what type of project it is and what grade you are in. If images are used, you must place the copyright "© Linda S. Nix" under each image It is important for students realize that each time any image is downloaded and used, even for educational purposes, credit should be given in the bibliography. When you use information from my magnolia pages, the site should also be listed in your biography. You would do your bibliography like this: Nix, Linda S. "The Evolution of Magnolias", URL: http://home.att.net/~velvet-hammer/evolution.html, c 2005. Students should not copy and paste text. It should be rewritten in their own words. NOTE: Educational use does not constitute any use in which a profit or remuneration is made in any way connected with the use of these images. Licensing fees are required in these cases. College Students: Occasionally college students ask to use magnolia images for projects. This is possible if you do the following: E-mail me and tell me which and how many images you wish to use, describe your assignment/project, give the degree you are working on and tell me for which class you are doing it. Place the copyright notice, "© Linda S. Nix", under or by each image. Agree to mail me a copy of your project or e-mail me a file of your PowerPoint presentation. Give credit in your bibliography. You may not sell, distribute or otherwise profit in any way from your work that uses my images. This is a clear violation of copyright laws.   All sounds and graphics on my web pages not credited to others (or created by me) are considered to be in public domain. If you see something that is not in public domain that you created, please let me know and I will either give you credit or remove it. Every effort has been made to credit when information was available. Thanks.   Information on how to plant magnolia seeds came from "Magnolias: A Care Manual" by Graham Rankin (Laurel Glen, 1999). A wonderful reference book that you can order from Amazon.com (unless it goes out of print). A special thanks goes to Susan J. Meades, who teaches plant taxonomy at a university in Ontario, for her input as far as scientific terminology and further explanations to my text. Hopefully, my evolution of the life of a magnolia blossom is scientifically accurate.

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