Magnolia acuminata |
Magnolia fraseri |
|
---|---|---|
cucumber-tree |
Fraser's magnolia, mountain magnolia |
|
Habit | Trees, deciduous, single-trunked, to 30 m. | Trees, deciduous, single-trunked, to 25(-32.6) m. |
Bark | dark gray, furrowed. |
gray to brownish, smooth. |
Twigs | and foliar buds silvery-pubescent. |
and foliar buds glabrous. |
Leaves | blade broadly ovate-elliptic, oblong to oblong-obovate, rarely somewhat rotund, (5-)10-25(-40) × 4-15(-26) cm, base cuneate to truncate or broadly rounded, often somewhat oblique, apex acuminate; surfaces abaxially pale green to whitish, pilose to nearly glabrous, adaxially green, glabrous or rarely scattered pilose. |
blade rhombic-obovate to obovate-spatulate or oblanceolate, broadest near middle, gradually tapering to base, 20-30(-60) × 8-16(-27) cm, base deeply cordate or auriculate to somewhat truncate, apex obtuse to acute or somewhat acuminate; surfaces abaxially strongly glaucous, glabrous, adaxially deep green, glabrous. |
Flowers | slightly aromatic, 6-9 cm across; spathaceous bracts 2, abaxially silky-pubescent; tepals erect, strongly glaucous to greenish or sometimes yellow to orange-yellow, outermost tepals reflexed, much shorter, green; stamens (50-)60-122(-139), 5-13 mm; filaments white; pistils (35-)40-45(-60). |
fragrant, 16-22 cm across; spathaceous bracts 2, abaxially glandular; tepals creamy white, the outermost greenish; stamens 100-200, 8-14 mm; filaments white; pistils 50-90. |
Seeds | heart-shaped, somewhat flattened to somewhat globose, 9-10 mm, smooth, aril reddish orange. |
lenticular, 7-10 mm, aril red. |
Pith | homogeneous. |
homogeneous. |
Follicetums | oblong-cylindric, often asymmetric, 2-7 × 0.8-2.7 cm; follicles short-beaked, glabrous. |
ellipsoid, 5.5-10 × 2.5-5 cm, glabrous; follicles recurved, long-beaked, glabrous. |
2n | =76. |
=38. |
Magnolia acuminata |
Magnolia fraseri |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring. | Flowering spring. |
Habitat | Rich woods, slopes, and ravines, often along streams | Rich woods and coves |
Elevation | 0–1400 m (0–4600 ft) | 300-1520m (1000-5000ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; VA; WV; ON
|
GA; KY; NC; SC; TN; VA; WV
|
Discussion | The vernacular name, cucumber-tree, alludes to the resemblance of the follicetum to the young fruit of cucumber. It is the only magnolia species in the flora that occurs naturally in Canada. Studies of Magnolia acuminata have failed to reconcile the nature of variation in this widespread species. In an attempt to settle differences in variation patterns, J.W. Hardin (1954) recognized four infraspecific taxa in M. acuminata. Later (1972, 1989) Hardin abandoned his earlier views for a more conservative stance, stating that variation in M. acuminata lacked any consistent pattern or geographic correlation. This is the view taken here–no infraspecific taxa are accepted for M. acuminata at this time. Its flowers are normally greenish and glaucous or sometimes yellow to orange-yellow, less showy than those of other magnolias in the flora. In southern areas, trees with yellow to orange-yellow flowers (originally described by Michaux as M. cordata) occur in North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and perhaps elsewhere, together with trees that bear normal greenish flowers. Both filiform and flagelliform trichomes occur on the leaves; cylindric trichomes also occur. Magnolia acuminata is of value to horticulturists because no other species of the genus has yellow tepals. Magnolia acuminata contains major quantities of xanthophyll lutein-5,6-epoxide and, in smaller amounts, acarotene-5,6-epoxide. Although this carotenoid occurs randomly throughout populations of M. acuminata, often it is masked by chlorophyll and not visibly expressed. Sometimes the carotenoid pigment shows through, as in the hybrid M. acuminata × M. denudata 'Elizabeth'. In that cross the M. acuminata parent tree was a nondescript plant with greenish flowers; yet out of this hybrid came 'Elizabeth', a stunning plant with light canary yellow flowers, a result completely unexpected. A thorough field study of M. acuminata is clearly warranted, and further investigation of the carotenoid flower pigments is needed to clarify the taxonomy of this widespread tree. The largest known tree of Magnolia acuminata, 29.6m in height with a trunk diameter of 1.26m, is recorded from a specimen cultivated in Waukon, Iowa (American Forestry Association 1994). The Cherokee and Iroquois tribes used Magnolia acuminata, largely the bark, as an analgesic, antidiarrheal, gastrointestinal aid, anthelmintic, toothache remedy, and for various other uses (D.E. Moerman 1986). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Magnolia fraseri, a tree of the Appalachian mountains and upper piedmont, and its close congener M. pyramidata, of the lower piedmont and coastal plain, are sometimes confused taxonomically, but they differ in a series of good characters. Some investigators have treated them as geographic varieties or subspecies of M. fraseri. Magnolia fraseri differs from M. pyramidata in being a much larger tree with wide-speading branches, different leaf shape, larger flowers, more numerous stamens, and larger follicetums. In their present geographic distribution, these taxa are allopatric. In some localities M. fraseri may be abundant, as in the area near Sugar Grove, Smythe County, Virginia, where hundreds of specimens occur. It is a desirable flowering tree, occasionally cultivated. The largest known tree of Magnolia fraseri, 32.6m in height with a trunk diameter of 94 cm, is recorded from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee (American Forestry Association 1994). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3. |
Parent taxa | Magnoliaceae > Magnolia | Magnoliaceae > Magnolia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | M. virginiana var. (e) acuminata, Kobus acuminata, M. acuminata var. alabamensis, M. acuminata var. aurea, M. acuminata subsp. cordata, M. acuminata var. cordata, M. acuminata var. ludoviciana, M. acuminata var. ozarkensis, M. acuminata var. subcordata, M. cordata, Tulipastrum acuminatum, Tulipastrum acuminatum var. aureum, Tulipastrum acuminatum var. flavum, Tulipastrum acuminatum var. ludovicianum, Tulipastrum acuminatum var. ozarkense, Tulipastrum americanum, Tulipastrum americanum var. subcordatum, Tulipastrum cordatum | M. auricularis, M. auriculata |
Name authority | (Linnaeus) Linnaeus: Syst. Nat. ed. 10, 2: 1082. (1759) | Walter: Fl. Carol., 159. (1788) |
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