Swamp magnolia
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Swamp magnolia ( Magnolia virginiana ) |
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The swamp magnolia ( Magnolia virginiana ) is a species of the magnolia genus . It grows as a shrub or a small to medium-sized tree and comes from southeastern North America, where it is called "sweetbay" (literally, "scented laurel"). It was the first magnolia species to be introduced to Europe in 1688 and is still occasionally cultivated as an ornamental wood.
description
The swamp magnolia grows in the north of its range as a multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub with heights of one to two meters, while further south it remains evergreen, grows narrowly tree-shaped and reaches a height of up to 28 meters. The smooth bark is dark gray, young twigs and buds are usually softly hairy.
The alternate , slightly leathery leaves are dull or shiny green on top, whitish on the underside and sometimes hairy. The leaf size is quite variable and varies between six and 22 centimeters in length and three to seven centimeters in width. The leaf shape is oblong-elliptical and tapering at both ends. The petiole is 1.5 centimeters long, there are stipules present.
The flower buds are surrounded by two scaly bracts, the outer one of which is softly hairy. The five to eight centimeters large flowers open over a longer period of time in the course of early summer and smell. You are at the end of the branches. The three outer tepals are greenish and bent back, the six to nine inner ones are cream-colored to white, initially closed in the shape of a goblet and later protruding horizontally. About 60 to 90 stamens and 20 to 40 pistils are located in the center of the flower. The stamens are 0.5 to an inch long with white stamens. The flower forms a cone-like fruit cluster ( follicle fruit , follicetum), egg-shaped to rounded, three to five centimeters long and brown in color. The individual seeds are about five millimeters in size, the seed coat ( arillus ) is colored red. When ripe, they hang out of the follicle for a short time on a thin thread . The germination takes place until the following spring.
Distribution and location
This type of magnolia is native to southeastern North America, along the Atlantic coast and on the Gulf of Mexico. It is a plant of the coastal plain, it rarely rises higher than 100 meters, exceptionally up to 500 meters. To the north, the distribution extends to Long Island , in the south to Florida and west to Texas. It is also found in Cuba.ref name = "WCSP" /> The swamp magnolia thus has the largest distribution area of all North American magnolias. She is common in the states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina.
The locations where Magnolia virginiana grows have year-round moist soil, the annual rainfall is between 1200 and 1600 mm. However, as the name suggests, it does not occur in waterlogged swamps, but tolerates occasional flooding. The pH value of the populated soils is in the acidic range.
ecology
The swamp magnolia is often associated with the red maple , the sweetgum tree , Nyssa sylvatica and the oak species Quercus nigra and Quercus laurifolia . The evergreen magnolia also has a largely identical distribution area. Various Ilex species ( Ilex opaca , Ilex cassine , Ilex coriacea , Ilex glabra ), the shrubs Cornus stricta , Myrica cerifera , Itea virginica , Sorbus arbutifolia , Clethra alnifolia and the bamboo Arundinaria tecta grow in the undergrowth .
Since the young plants of the swamp magnolia can also grow in partial shade and under competition from other trees, they are preserved in closed forests for a long time. On the other hand, fully grown trees survive the effects of forest fires relatively well, and open areas are quickly populated via seeds. That is why the swamp magnolia can be found in all stages of succession , albeit rarely as the dominant tree species.
White-tailed deer and cows like to eat the leaves . The seeds are often eaten by gray squirrels , as well as the white footed mouse ( Peromyscus leucopus ), turkey , quail and other birds.
The flowers are mainly pollinated by beetles. The leaves are often attacked by fungal diseases such as Mycosphaerella milleri and M. glauca . The flowers are colonized by the fungus Sclerotinia gracilipes , which is restricted to the swamp magnolia . Weakened trees are the habitat of the beetle Xyleborus affinis , which infects the wood with the fungus Cephalosporium pallidum .
use
Because of the fragrant, large flowers, the swamp magnolia is used as an ornamental wood. Southern origins are popular because of the upright growth and the evergreen leaves, but less frost-hardy. The species is also available in nurseries in Europe, with some varieties occasionally seen in the US:
- 'Henry Hicks' - evergreen and yet frost hardy, narrow, dense crown.
- 'Satellite' - evergreen, relatively frost hardy, flowers large, cream-colored, very fragrant.
Hybrids with a number of other magnolia species have been performed:
- Magnolia × thompsoniana 'Urbana' - Magnolia tripetala × Magnolia virginiana , the first known magnolia hybrid, originated in England in 1808.
- 'Porcelain Dove' - emerged from Magnolia globosa × Magnolia virginiana .
- The so-called "Freeman hybrids", hybrids from Magnolia grandiflora × Magnolia virginiana .
- 'Nimbus' - Magnolia hypoleuca × Magnolia virginiana .
The aromatic wood is easy to work with and is mainly used for the manufacture of furniture.
The Houma Indians reported using the leaves and twigs as medicine, the Rappahannock Indians used leaves and bark as a drug.
Systematics
Within the genus Magnolia , the swamp magnolia is classified in the sub-genus Magnolia and there in the Magnolia section . Close relatives are a number of other North and Central American magnolia species, such as the evergreen magnolia .
The name virginiana was given by Carl von Linné , who described the plant in 1753. The name refers to the site on the east coast of North America, then called "Virginia" beyond the boundaries of today's state. It is the type species of the entire genus Magnolia .
Due to the different growth forms in the distribution area, a subspecies Magnolia virginiana subsp. australis (coffin.) AEMurray or variety Magnolia virginiana var. australis coffin. differentiated, which includes the southern occurrences with tree-shaped growth and evergreen leaves. However, there is a broad transition zone (located roughly from North Carolina to Florida) in which there is a gradual transition from one shape to another. A clear separation of two subspecies is not possible there. Therefore, classification as a variety is preferable.
Since 2008, however, a new subspecies has been described from Cuba, so two other subspecies are known:
- Magnolia virginiana subsp. oviedoae Palmarola, MSRomanov & AVBobrov : Cuba
- Magnolia virginiana subsp. virginiana : It occurs in the eastern United States.
Individual evidence
- ^ EL Little: Atlas of United States Trees. (PDF; 727 kB) US Department of Agriculture, 1977, accessed August 24, 2009 .
- ↑ Native American Ethobotany Database - University of Michigan
- ^ 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
- ↑ Linnaeus: Species Plantarum. Vol. 1. Trattner, Vienna 1753, p. 536.
- ↑ a b c Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Magnolia virginiana. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved September 25, 2019.
literature
- DJ Callaway: The World of Magnolias . Timber Press, Portland Or 1994, pp. 75ff. ISBN 0-88192-236-6
- M. Coladonato: Magnolia virginiana. In: Fire Effects Information System. US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, 1991, accessed August 24, 2009 .
- FG Meyer: Magnoliaceae. Flora of North America North of Mexico. Vol. 3. New York / Oxford 1997. ISBN 0-19-511246-6
- DS Priest: Sweetbay. In: RM Burns, BH Honkala (Ed.): Silvics of North America. Vol. 2. Hardwoods. Agriculture Handbook. Vol. 654. US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Washington DC 1990. ISBN 0-16-027145-2
