''Magnolia fraseri'', commonly known as Fraser magnolia, mountain magnolia, earleaf cucumbertree, or mountain-oread, is a species of

magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendr ...

native to the

southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and t ...

in the southern

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

and adjacent

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

and

Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from an ocean or their seas into a landmass, larger and typically (though not always) with a narrower opening than a bay (geography), bay. The term was used traditionally for large, highly indented navigable bodies of s ...

Coastal Plain from

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

to northern

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and to eastern

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. The Appalachian plants are classified as ''Magnolia fraseri'' var. ''fraseri,'' and the more coastal plants as ''M. fraseri'' var. ''pyramidata.'' These two kinds of magnolia are often recognized as distinct species, ''M. fraseri'' and ''M. pyramidata,'' respectively.

Description

Fraser magnolia (named for Scottish botanist John Fraser) is a small,

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

growing to 14 m (40 ft) tall, as a basal-branching, fragrant plant, with brown

bark Bark may refer to: Common meanings * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Arts and entertainment * ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...

with a "warty" or "scaly" texture. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are quite large, 15–25 cm (rarely up to 53 cm) long and 8–18 cm (rarely up to 29 cm) broad, with a pair of auricles (or "ear-lobes") at the base and an entire margin; they are green above and glaucous blue-green below. The showy white

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are 16–25 cm in diameter with nine

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s; they open in late spring or early summer, after the foliage. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

is a woody, oblong, cone-like structure (like all magnolias) 6.5–12 cm long, covered in small, pod-like follicles each containing one or two red seeds that hang out from the cone by a slender thread when ripe. A good seed crop occurs only about every 4–5 years. Reproduction is accomplished by both seed and vegetative sprouts. The fruit is eaten by wildlife, helping disperse the seeds. In the Appalachian Mountains, the Fraser Magnolia is a popular nest tree for the

northern flying squirrel The northern flying squirrel (''Glaucomys sabrinus'') is one of three species of the genus '' Glaucomys'', the only flying squirrels found in North America.Walker EP, Paradiso JL. 1975. ''Mammals of the World''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Universit ...

. The tree grows best on rich, moist, well-drained soil. The very large showy white flowers and large-leaved, coarse-textured foliage make it an attractive

ornamental tree Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

, but otherwise it has little commercial value. It is sometimes cultivated in North America as a native alternative to exotic magnolias and can be grown a considerable distance north of its natural range if given conditions favorable to its growth. There are two

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

: *''Magnolia fraseri'' var. ''fraseri'', native to the Appalachian Mountains. *''Magnolia fraseri'' var. ''pyramidata'' (Bartram) Pampanini, from the Coastal Plain. The vernacular name for this variety is Pyramid magnolia.

Gallery

File:Magnoliafraseri rt1.jpg, ''M. fraseri'' in young forest. File:Magnoliafraseri rt2.jpg, ''M. fraseri'' flower and foliage. File:Magnolia fraseri 2.jpg, ''Magnolia fraseri'' flower bud and emerging leaves. File:Magnolia fraseri bud.jpg, ''Magnolia fraseri'' maturing fruit.

Notes and references

*Hunt, D., ed. (1998). ''Magnolias and their allies''. International Dendrology Society & Magnolia Society. . *Sternberg, G. (2004). ''Native Trees for North American Landscapes'' pp. 264. Timber Press, Inc.

External links

''Magnolia fraseri'' images at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University Plant Image Database
*https://archive.today/20060311195300/http://wildwnc.org/trees/Magnolia_fraseri.html (wildwnc.org)
Interactive Distribution Map of ''Magnolia fraseri''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q819208 fraseri Plants described in 1788 Trees of Northern America