Magnolia fraseri

Walter

Fl. Carol., 159. 1788.

Common names: Mountain magnolia
EndemicIllustrated
Synonyms: Magnolia auricularis Salisbury Magnolia auriculata W.Bartram
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 3.

Trees, deciduous, single-trunked, to 25 (-32.6) m. Bark gray to brownish, smooth. Pith homogeneous. Twigs and foliar buds glabrous. Leaves crowded in terminal whorl-like clusters; stipules (5.4-) 7.6-9.5 (-10) × 2-6 cm, abaxially glandular. Leaf-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 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. Follicetums ellipsoid, 5.5-10 × 2.5-5 cm, glabrous; follicles recurved, long-beaked, glabrous. Seeds lenticular, 7-10 mm, aril red. 2n=38.


Phenology: Flowering spring.
Habitat: Rich woods and coves
Elevation: 300-1520m

Distribution

V3 334-distribution-map.gif

Ga., Ky., N.C., S.C., Tenn., Va., W.Va.

Discussion

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).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"lengthofanthers" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Magnolia fraseri"
latrorse +  and introrse +
acuminate +, obtuse +  and acute +
Frederick G. Meyer +
Walter +
gray +  and brownish +
auriculate +  and cordate +
8cm;16cm +
Mountain magnolia +
Ga. +, Ky. +, N.C. +, S.C. +, Tenn. +, Va. +  and W.Va. +
300-1520m +
fragrant +
16 cm160 mm <br />0.16 m <br /> (22 cm220 mm <br />0.22 m <br />) +
5.5 cm55 mm <br />0.055 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
coalescent +
Rich woods and coves +
30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br /> (60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br />) +
16 cm160 mm <br />0.16 m <br /> (27 cm270 mm <br />0.27 m <br />) +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
tapering +, rhombic-obovate +  and obovate-spatulate or oblanceolate +
petiolate +  and simple +
Flowering spring. +
sessile +  and stalked +
concrescent +  and free +
diaphragmed +
homogeneous +
Fl. Carol., +
indehiscent +
persistent +
annular +
lenticular +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Endemic +  and Illustrated +
hypogynous +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br />) +
decurrent +
9.5 cm95 mm <br />0.095 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
adnate +  and free +
7.6 cm76 mm <br />0.076 m <br /> (9.5 cm95 mm <br />0.095 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
glabrous;glabrous;glaucous +
Magnolia auricularis +  and Magnolia auriculata +
Magnolia fraseri +
Magnolia +
species +
creamy white +
deciduous +
elongate +
2,500 cm25,000 mm <br />25 m <br /> (3,260 cm32,600 mm <br />32.6 m <br />) +