Large-leaved magnolia

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Large-leaved magnolia
Large-leaved magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla) with flower

Large-leaved magnolia ( Magnolia macrophylla ) with flower

Systematics
Class : Bedecktsamer (Magnoliopsida)
Magnoliids
Order : Magnolia-like (Magnoliales)
Family : Magnolia family (Magnoliaceae)
Genre : Magnolias ( Magnolia )
Type : Large-leaved magnolia
Scientific name
Magnolia macrophylla
Michx.
Large-leaved magnolia ( Magnolia macrophylla )
Young tree

The large-leaved magnolia ( Magnolia macrophylla ) is a species of the magnolia genus . It grows as a medium-sized tree in eastern North America, where it is called "bigleaf magnolia". Both the English and scientific names refer to the exceptionally large leaves.

description

Magnolia macrophylla with an open and faded flower

The large-leaved magnolia grows as a deciduous tree and reaches heights of up to 15 meters, in exceptional cases up to 30 meters. Young twigs are yellowish-gray and softly hairy, older branches have smooth, light-gray bark . The branches don't branch out often.

The leaves are heaped at the ends of the branches. The leaf shape is broadly elliptical to spatulate, the base of the leaf is wedge-shaped to heart-shaped , the tip of the leaf is blunt or somewhat pointed. The leaves reach a length of 50 to 110 centimeters with a width of 15 to 45 centimeters. This plant therefore has the largest undivided leaves of all tree species growing in the temperate zones. The upper side is green and smooth, the underside the leaves are whitish to light green, sometimes with bluish frosting and covered with white hairs, especially along the midrib. The petiole measures five to ten centimeters, stipules are present.

The fragrant flowers reach a diameter of 35 to 40 centimeters, occasionally up to 50 centimeters. They stand individually at the ends of the branches. They open from May to June from two bracts resembling bud scales, the outer of which is hairy brown. The three outer tepals are greenish and bent back, the inner six are white and open more slowly. The innermost three petals have a red-brown spot at the base. In the center of the flower there are 350 to 580 white stamens and 50 to 80 pistils . The pin-like fruit stand ( Sammelbalgfrucht ) is round to oval with a diameter of five to ten centimeters. It turns from green to pink-red to brown, at first it is hairy, then smooth when ripe. The approximately one centimeter large seeds are surrounded by a bright pink or orange-red seed coat ( arillus ).

distribution

The large-leaved magnolia is a tree found in the deciduous forests of eastern North America, from Ohio and Kentucky to Georgia , Alabama and Louisiana in the south. The tree is most common in southern and central Mississippi , but nowhere is it really dominant. Most occurrences consist of a few individuals and are isolated. In addition, the species occurs in Mexico and from Cuba to Puerto Rico.

The locations are moist valleys and gorges at an altitude of 150 to 300 meters. The soils are rich in humus and nutrients, the pH value is slightly acidic. Extreme locations in any form are not populated.

use

This magnolia is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental wood. However, it places very high demands on the location and with its size does not fit into smaller home gardens. Magnolia macrophylla is rarely commercially available in Europe, with some varieties occasionally seen in the US. Crosses with other magnolias are possible, for example the varieties 'Birgitta Flinck' and 'Karl Flinck' from Magnolia macrophylla × Magnolia virginiana .

The Cherokee Indians used the bark as medicine.

Systematics

Within the genus Magnolia , Magnolia macrophylla belongs to the subgenus Magnolia , there in the section Macrophylla . Closest relatives are Magnolia ashei and Magnolia dealbata , sometimes referred to as varieties of Magnolia macrophylla . Other magnolias that grow in southeastern North America and are related to Magnolia macrophylla are Magnolia fraseri and the umbrella magnolia .

Was named Magnolia macrophylla by André Michaux in 1803 after he himself in 1795 on a trip through the Cumberland Mountains in Tennessee had collected.

There are three subspecies or varieties that not only differ in a number of clear characteristics, but also colonize geographically isolated areas, which is why they are also viewed by some botanists as separate species:

  • Magnolia macrophylla ( Magnolia macrophylla var. Macrophylla ), large-leaved magnolia, southeastern USA, tree up to 20 m, leaves 50–90 cm long, fruit 4–10 cm long with more than 50 carpels. Cultivars: 'Whopper' (said to have even larger leaves and flowers than the species) and 'Sara Gladney'. USDA Zone  5 It occurs from Ohio to the southeastern United States.
  • Magnolia ashei ( Magnolia macrophylla var. Ashei (Weatherby) D. Johnson ), northwest Florida, bush or small tree up to 12 m, leaves 25–60 cm, fruit 4–5 cm long with less than 50 carpels. USDA Zone  6 It occurs only in northwest Florida.
  • Magnolia dealbata ( Magnolia macrophylla var. Dealbata (Zuccarini) D. Johnson ), Mexico (Hidalgo to Oaxaca and Vera Cruz, in cloud forests), tree up to 20 m, leaves 30–60 cm, fruit 8–15 cm long with more than 70 Carpels. USDA Zone  8 It occurs in Mexico and from Cuba to Puerto Rico.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Alan Mitchell: The forest and park trees of Europe. An identification book for dendrologists and nature lovers . Translated and edited by Gerd Krüssmann. Paul Parey, Hamburg / Berlin 1975, ISBN 3-490-05918-2 , pp. 270 .
  2. ^ EL Little: Atlas of United States Trees. (PDF; 701 kB) In: US Department of Agriculture. Retrieved August 24, 2009 .
  3. ↑ a b c d Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Magnolia macrophylla. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  4. ↑ Native American Ethobotany Database - University of Michigan
  5. ^ Classification of Magnoliaceae. Magnolia Society International, 2012, accessed December 22, 2015 . ; see. RB Figlar, HP Nooteboom: Notes on Magnoliaceae IV. In: Blumea. Leiden 49, 2004, 1, 87. ISSN  0006-5196
  6. ^ André Michaux: Flora Boreali-Americana. Vol. 1. Paris 1803,327.

literature

Web links

Commons : Large-leaved magnolia ( Magnolia macrophylla )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files