PLANT OF THE MONTH
September, 2009
Plant of the Month Feature
by Susan Davis
Arboretum Roots Board Member
Magnolia
The Magnificent Magnolia When one says Magnolia I can't help but picture southern belles, warm weather and cool mint juleps. My son however pictures dinosaurs and ancient creatures. Indeed this plant harmoniously joins both the elegance of a lady with the rampaging dinosaurs of long ago. This beautiful genus of about 210 flowering species ranges down the spine of Appalachia across woodlands of the mid-south as far west as Oklahoma and north to Pennsylvania. A wonderful large specimen resides at the Bickelhaupt arboretum engaging ones senses and imagination with its color, scent, and lovely appearance.
Imagine those first European settlers traipsing through the northeast unfamiliar with Magnolias. What awe Englishman Mark Catesby must have felt when discovering the vivacious plant. So taken with the loveliness and adaptability explorers in 1688 sent the Sweet Bay (Magnolia virginiana) to Europe. She immediately conquered the citizens with her personality resulting in a plethora of cross breeding programs and hybridization. Many superior ornamental trees resulted raising magnolias to among the 10 most popular flowering trees in the U.S. a place already held by Magnolias in Asia.
Unaware of Amerindian or Asian names for the species, 18th century taxonomists named Magnolias to commemorate Pierre Magnol, a 17th century French botanist. But, Magnolias were well known and widely used by ancient cultures in Asia and the Americas. The beautiful flowering tree, Magnolia Denudata, cultivated since the 7th century was known as "Yu-lan" ("Jade Orchid") to the ancient Chinese. While visiting Japan recently we also learned that the Magnolia Stellata has been grown for centuries. Presented in flowering pot plants called "Shidekobushi" ("Zigzag-petalled Kobushi Magnolia") these plants appear in home gardens as well as on busy commercial streets. All the delightful history is interesting to me but to my dinosaur crazed son early evolution is more fascinating. Magnolia is an ancient genus evolving even before bees. The flowers produce no true nectar. Instead they attract pollinating beetles with fragrant-though perhaps unpleasant smelling, sugary secretions. Some say it smells of goat, or a really gross dinosaur'or so says my son. Fossiled specimens have been found dating to 20 million years ago. Another primitive aspect of Magnolias is their lack of distinct sepals or petals. The bowl of flowers is about 5 to 10 inches across with 6 to 12 narrow petal called tepals. The remarkable leaves can be 2 foot long and 8 inches across. Their appearance gives shade gardens a tropical feel with the look and texture of a banana leaf. Aside from their ornamental value species are also harvested for timber. The Asian species, Magnolia hypoleuca and M. kobus, are used for furniture. The North American species, M. acuminata, M. grandiflora, M. macrophylla and occasionally M. virginiana, have been used similarly. Flower buds of M. liliiflora and bark of M. officinalis, M. liliiflora, and M. kobus (in Asia) and M. grandiflora and M. virginiana (in America) have been used in infusions as a tonic. Flower tepals have been used for food. Wildlife feed on the magnolia's seeds and flower tepals.
You don't need to travel to the south or back in time to view this ancient yet elegant plant. But your imagination can run wild when you visit the Bickelhaupt Arboretum and pose beneath the Umbrella Magnolia, magnoliaceae magnolia tripetala. The smooth gray bark tree has relatively few branch with the main trunk sending up a number of fast suckers from the base. The umbrella context is for the umbrella like clusters of leaves at the tips of the branches. Though through the eyes of a child the trees very shape and immense leaves can make one feel as though they are under a large umbrella. This large tree also has very showy flowers. Intersting too is the cone-like fruit, rather like a soft pinecone, begins green but turns a vivid pink, red and lastly brown. The arboretum often utilizes this tree for educational programs for grade school children studying plants, seeds, and germination.
If you wish to add a bit of color and interest to your landscape Magnolias make a great addition. Whether it's along a natural or manmade stream, in a shade garden, a sunny site, or on your front lawn it makes an interesting specimen. Be wary of windy locations that can cause the leaves to tatter. Care for this interesting plant keeping it watered during periods of dry weather. You'll not find it at your local nurseries, but native plant nurseries often list it. For more information about Magnolias visit the Bickelhaupt Arboretum, 340 South 14th Street, Clinton , Iowa 563-242-4771. Open from dawn to dusk everyday. Or go to http://www.extension.iastate.edu/gardening/2006season.php.
About the author: Susan Davis has served as Director, Rockford Museum Association, Director UW-Platteville Center for the Arts, and Extension Director, ISU Extension, but feels fortunate to be able to enjoy her current job as a stay-at-home mom of three. When time permits she enjoys serving as an arboretum volunteer, Roots board member, and volunteering for Ag in the Classroom. She has written articles for area newspapers and been a speaker for various groups and businesses in the QC area.