Flora of North America species comparison

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Magnolia tripetala

umbrella magnolia, umbrella-tree
Habit Trees, deciduous, often multitrunked, to 15 m. Bark gray, smooth.
Twigs

and foliar buds glabrous.
Leaves

blade elliptic-oblong to narrowly obovate, or oblanceolate, (10-)26-57(-70) × (7.2-)10-30 cm, thin, broadest near middle, base cuneate to long-tapered, apex very short to long-acuminate or abruptly acute, rarely apiculate;

surfaces abaxially densely pilose, especially on midvein, adaxially green, glabrous.
Flowers

malodorous, 5.5-11 cm across; spathaceous bracts 2, abaxially glandular;

tepals spreading, creamy white, outermost whorl sepaloid, reflexed, greenish;

stamens 81-103(-115), 8-17 mm;

filaments purple;

pistils (45-)53-66(-73).
Seeds

lenticular to nearly ovoid, 9-12 mm, aril deep pink to red.
Pith

homogeneous.
Follicetums

cylindric to ovoid-cylindric, 6-10 × 2-3.5 cm;

follicles long-beaked, glabrous.
2n

=38.

Magnolia tripetala
Phenology Flowering spring.
Habitat Rich woods and ravines, mainly in uplands, rarely coastal plain
Elevation 0-1065m (0-3500ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; IN; KY; MD; MS; NC; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In Virginia Magnolia tripetala is a disjunct in the coastal plain.

The malodorous flowers of Magnolia tripetala are uniquely associated with this species. The tree is occasionally cultivated. Both filiform and flagelliform trichomes occur on the leaves. Sometimes cylindric trichomes also occur.

The largest known tree of Magnolia tripetala, 15.2m in height with a trunk diameter of 87 cm, is recorded from Bucks County, Pennsylvania (American Forestry Association 1994).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Magnoliaceae > Magnolia
Sibling taxa
M. acuminata, M. ashei, M. fraseri, M. grandiflora, M. macrophylla, M. pyramidata, M. virginiana
Synonyms M. virginiana var. (d) tripetala, Kobus tripetala, M. frondosa, M. umbrella, M. umbrella var. tripetala
Name authority (Linnaeus) Linnaeus: Syst. Nat. ed. 10, 2: 1082. (1759)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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