Magnolia macrophylla var. ashei

Ashe's magnolia

Magnoliaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

15-30 ft tall by 10 ft wide

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

red

Phenology:

deciduous

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen plant in shady garden or understory tree.

Considerations:

Light:

Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Somewhat moist, no flooding ---- to ---- Short very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Birds, Mammals

Beetles are the primary pollinators of magnolia flowers. The flowers have a hardened carpel to avoid damage by their gnawing mandibles as the feed. The beetles are after the protein-rich pollen. Because the beetles are interesting in pollen and pollen alone, the flowers mature in a way that ensures cross pollination. The male parts mature first and offer said pollen. The female parts of the flower are second to mature. They produce no reward for the beetles but are instead believed to mimic the male parts, ensuring that the beetles will spend some time exploring and thus effectively pollinating the flowers ( In Defense of Plants blog).

Fruits eaten and spread by birds and small mammals.

Native Habitats:

Slope forest, upland mixed forest. Ravines. Andy's photo is of a planted specimen that appears to nearly lack the red/purple splotches at the bases of the petals. The leaves are too young to have the characteristic white back, however, Andy knows that they turned white as they got older.