Phylum:
Angiosperm
Class:
Magnoliids
Order:
Magnoliales
Family:
Magnoliaceae
Genus:
Magnolia
Species:
M.virginiana
Common Name:
sweetbay or sweetbay magnolia
Conservation Status:
LC
Subspecies:
Yes, two.
M.virginiana.viginiana
M.virginiana.australis
Description
The M.virginiana is the type species of the genus Magnolia and is most commonly known as sweetbay magnolia, or merely sweetbay, however, this species is also known as laurel magnolia, swampbay, swamp magnolia, white bay, or beaver tree.
Magnolia virginiana is an evergreen or deciduous tree which grows up to 100 feet tall (30 m). What determines whether it is deciduous or evergreen depends on climate. In the southern areas with milder winters, this species is an evergreen, however, in the northern range, it is semi-evergreen and/or deciduous.
The leaves are alternate, simple (not lobed or pinnate), with entire margins, 2-5 inches long (6–12 cm), and 1-2 inches wide (3–5 cm). The bark is smooth and gray, with the inner bark mildly scented, the scent reminiscent of the bay laurel spice.
The flowers, which appear in late spring or early summer, are creamy white, 3 to 5.5 inches diameter (8–14 cm), with 6-15 petal-like tepals. The flowers carry a very strong vanilla scent that can sometimes be noticed several hundred yards away. The fruit is a fused aggregate of follicles, 1-2 inches long (3–5 cm), pinkish-red when mature in early fall, with the follicles splitting open to release the 1/3 inch long (1 cm). The seeds are black but covered by a thinly fleshy red coat, which is attractive to some fruit-eating birds; these swallow the seeds and digest the red coating, tnen disperse the seeds in their droppings.
Habitat:
This species is native to the lowlands and swamps of the Atlantic coastal plain region.
Range:
This species is found in the eastern United States, from Long Island, New York southward to Florida and then east in the gulf coastal states as far as eastern Texas. There is a disjunct native population found on Cape Ann on the coast in northeastern Massachusetts.
