Flora of North America species comparison

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Magnolia tripetala

Magnoliaceae

umbrella magnolia, umbrella-tree

composite family
Habit Trees, deciduous, often multitrunked, to 15 m. Bark gray, smooth. Trees or shrubs, deciduous or evergreen, aromatic.
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.

blade pinnately veined, unlobed (or evenly 2-10-lobed in Liriodendron), margins entire.
Inflorescences

terminal, solitary flowers (often paired in Magnolia ashei), pedunculate; spathaceous bracts 2 (Magnolia) or 1 (Liriodendron).
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).

perianth hypogynous, segments imbricate;

tepals deciduous, 6-18, in 3 or more whorls of 3, ± similar or outer tepals sepaloid, inner tepals petaloid;

stamens numerous, hypogynous, free, spirally arranged;

filaments very short to 1/2 length of anthers;

anthers introrse, latrorse, or extrorse, longitudinally dehiscent;

connective with distal appendage;

pistils numerous, superior, spirally arranged on elongate receptacle (torus), stalked or sessile, free or ±concrescent, 1-locular;

placentation marginal, placenta 1;

ovules 1-2;

style 1, short and recurved (Magnolia) or large and winglike (Liriodendron);

stigma 1, terminal or terminal decurrent (Magnolia) or recurved (Liriodendron).
Fruits

conelike syncarps consisting of aggregates of coalescent, woody follicles (follicetums, as in Magnolia) or apocarps consisting of aggregates of indehiscent samaras (samaracetums, as in Liriodendron).
Seeds

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

1-2 per pistil, arillate, endosperm oily (Magnolia), or without aril, adherent to dry endocarp (Liriodendron).
Pith

homogeneous.

homogeneous or diaphragmed.
Follicetums

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

follicles long-beaked, glabrous.

2n

=38.

Magnolia tripetala

Magnoliaceae
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]
Mostly in Asia; the Pacific Islands; and the Western Hemisphere
[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.)

Genera ca. 6(-12), species ca. 220 (2 genera, 9 species in the flora).

Magnoliaceae are pollinated by beetles.

Herbarium material of Magnolia is usually incomplete and inadequate for critical study. Collections should include material of the stipules, spathaceous bracts, a full complement of stamens, and all of the perianth segments to facilitate identification of Magnolia species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Leaf blade entire, base deeply cordate or auriculate, or cuneate to abruptly narrowed or rounded, apex obtuse or acute to acuminate; stipules adnate on petiole or rarely free, early deciduous; tepals petaloid, usually spreading, creamy white, rarely greenish or yellow to orange-yellow, outermost tepals sepaloid, sometimes reflexed, greenish; anthers introrse or latrorse; follicles persistent, coalescent; seeds with brightly colored aril, extruded from follicles and suspended by funiculi.
Magnolia
1. Leaf blade evenly 2-10-lobed, base rounded to shallowly cordate or truncate, apex broadly truncate or notched; stipules free, erect, leafy, tardily deciduous; tepals petaloid, tip recurved, greenish yellow with feathered orange band near base, outermost tepals sepaloid, reflexed, green; anthers extrorse; samaras caducous, forming elongate spindle-shaped dry cone, indehiscent; seeds without aril, adherent to dry endocarp.
Liriodendron
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3, p. 3. Author: Frederick G. Meyer.
Parent taxa Magnoliaceae > Magnolia
Sibling taxa
M. acuminata, M. ashei, M. fraseri, M. grandiflora, M. macrophylla, M. pyramidata, M. virginiana
Subordinate taxa
Liriodendron, Magnolia
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) Jussieu
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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