What other names does the Southern magnolia plant go by?
Quick facts about the Southern magnolia
The Southern magnolia belongs to the Magnoliaceae family and is also known as the foreign magnolia or lotus magnolia. The Southern magnolia is an evergreen tree, with thick leathery leaves, large and fragrant flowers, and a majestic and magnificent tree form. The species is relatively precious and has a long lifespan. This tree is fairly widely planted in Kunshan. The character "Guang" implies Kunshan's broad-mindedness and spirit of embracing all rivers and drawing on diverse strengths; the character "Yu" implies the city's character of "Kunshan has jade, and the jade lies in its people"; the character "Lan" implies Kunqu Opera, the "ancestor of a hundred operas," this "orchid of the opera garden." Moreover, these three characters are basically open-mouthed sounds, with a beautiful tone.
Morphological characteristics of the Southern magnolia
The Southern magnolia is a large evergreen tree, 20-30 m tall. The bark is light brown or gray, splitting into thin scales. Branches and buds have rusty-colored fine hairs. Leaves are oblong-elliptical and alternate; petioles are 1.5-4 cm long, with brown short pubescence on the underside; stipules are separate from the petioles; leaves are leathery, the blades elliptical or obovate-oblong, 10-20 cm long and 4-10 cm wide, with a blunt or gradually pointed tip and a wedge-shaped base, dark green and glossy above, light green below with rusty fine hairs, and 8-9 pairs of lateral veins. Flowers are fragrant, white, cup-shaped, 15-20 cm in diameter, and when open look like lotus blossoms; pedicels are sturdy and have downy hairs; tepals number 9-12, obovate, thick and fleshy; stamens are numerous, about 2 cm long, with flat filaments, purple, anthers introrse, and the connective extending into a short pointed tip; the gynoecium is elliptical, densely covered with long tomentum, carpels ovate, 1-1.5 cm long, and the style is curled. The aggregate fruit is cylindrical-oblong or ovate, densely covered with brown or grayish-yellow tomentum, and the fruit tip has a long beak. Seeds are elliptical or ovate, laterally flattened, about 1.4 cm long and about 6 mm wide.
Growth habits of the Southern magnolia
The Southern magnolia prefers light and tolerates slight shade when young. It likes a warm, humid climate and has a certain cold resistance. It is suitable for growing in dry, fertile, moist, well-drained slightly acidic or neutral soil, tends to develop chlorosis when planted in alkaline soil, and dislikes waterlogging and poor drainage. It has strong resistance to smoke, dust, and sulfur dioxide gas, and has few pests and diseases. Its root system is deep and extensive, and it has strong wind resistance. In particular, seed-grown saplings have straight trunks, a majestic tree form, and strong adaptability.
Origin and distribution of the Southern magnolia
The Southern magnolia is native to South America and is distributed in North America as well as the Yangtze River basin and areas to its south in mainland China; in northern places such as Beijing and Lanzhou, it has already been introduced and cultivated by humans. It is the city tree of Changzhou, Nantong, and Lianyungang in Jiangsu Province, Hefei in Anhui Province, and Yuyao in Zhejiang Province. It is also relatively common in Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou in the Yangtze River basin.