North Carolina Wildflowers, Shrubs, & Trees

by Jeffrey S. Pippen | Back to Jeff's Plant Page | Jeff's Nature Pages


Magnoliaceae > Magnolia

Cucumber Tree (Magnolia acuminata) Cucumber Tree (Magnolia acuminata)
Watauga Co., NC
21 July 2006

Obviously named for the developing fruits, Cucumber Tree is common in high pH soils in the mountains and uncommon in the piedmont of NC

Cucumber Tree (Magnolia acuminata) Cucumber Tree (Magnolia acuminata)
Watauga Co., NC
21 July 2006

Leaf bases vary from attenuate to cuneate to rounded to subcordate.

Cucumber Tree (Magnolia acuminata) Cucumber Tree (Magnolia acuminata)
Watauga Co., NC
21 July 2006


Fraser Magnolia (Magnolia fraseri) Fraser Magnolia (Magnolia fraseri)
Graham Co., NC
28 Apr 2006

Found in rich woods in the mountains and upper piedmont of NC, this tree is also known as Mountain Magnolia.

Fraser Magnolia (Magnolia fraseri) Fraser Magnolia (Magnolia fraseri)
Graham Co., NC
28 Apr 2006

Note the obvious lobes at the bases of the leaves.

Fraser Magnolia (Magnolia fraseri) Fraser Magnolia (Magnolia fraseri)
Transylvania Co., NC
9 Sep 2012

Southern Magnolia, Bull-bay (Magnolia grandiflora) Southern Magnolia, Bull-bay (Magnolia grandiflora)
Planted on the Duke University campus, Durham, NC
14 June 2009

Native to the southeastern US and, in North Carolina, to the extreme southeastern coastal plain, this grand tree is an icon of "the South" and is planted widely in landscapings.

Southern Magnolia, Bull-bay (Magnolia grandiflora) Southern Magnolia, Bull-bay (Magnolia grandiflora)
Planted on the Duke University campus, Durham, NC
14 June 2009

Large, fragrant white flowers set against large, dark green foliage, adorn the trees from spring into summer.

Southern Magnolia, Bull-bay (Magnolia grandiflora) Southern Magnolia, Bull-bay (Magnolia grandiflora)
Planted on the Duke University campus, Durham, NC
14 June 2009

Magnolias are considered to be quite primitive flowering plants. Note how the internal flower parts are spirally arranged and almost cone-like. The carpels (female parts) are the upper portions while the stamens (male parts) are the lower portions.

Southern Magnolia, Bull-bay (Magnolia grandiflora) Southern Magnolia, Bull-bay (Magnolia grandiflora)
Planted on the Duke University campus, Durham, NC
5 June 2011

Umbrella Tree (Magnolia tripetala) Umbrella Tree (Magnolia tripetala)
Haywood Co., NC
13 May 2005

Uncommon to fairly common and statewide in NC, note the leaves are not notched at their bases.


Sweetbay (Magnolia virginana) Sweetbay (Magnolia virginana)
Brunswick Co., NC
18 May 2008

Common in the NC coastal plain (rare elsewhere), Sweetbay grows in wet soils (bogs, swamps, pocosin, etc.).

Sweetbay (Magnolia virginana) Sweetbay (Magnolia virginana)
Brunswick Co., NC
13 Aug 2006

White flowers occur in the spring and develop into red fruits in the fall.

Sweetbay (Magnolia virginana) Sweetbay (Magnolia virginana)
Brunswick Co., NC
13 Aug 2006

The fruit is technically an aggregate of follicles.

Sweetbay (Magnolia virginana) Sweetbay (Magnolia virginana)
Pender Co., NC
13 Sep 2009
Sweetbay (Magnolia virginana) Sweetbay (Magnolia virginana)
Brunswick Co., NC
13 Aug 2006


Annotated habitat and distribution information listed above is from Radford, Ahles, & Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. UNC Press; and from personal observations and discussions with Will Cook, Harry LeGrand, and Bob Wilbur. Common names from personal experience and supplemented by the following resources USDA plants website, Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, and NatureServe.


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Created on May 9, 2006 | jeffpippen9@gmail.com