| Sweetbay magnolia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Magnolia virginiana var.australis flower,Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, accession #1275-80*A | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Magnoliales |
| Family: | Magnoliaceae |
| Genus: | Magnolia |
| Section: | Magnoliasect. Magnolia |
| Species: | M. virginiana |
| Binomial name | |
| Magnolia virginiana | |
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Magnolia virginiana, most commonly known assweetbay magnolia, or merelysweetbay (also laurel magnolia, swampbay, swamp magnolia, white bay, or beaver tree),[3] is a member of themagnolia family,Magnoliaceae. It was the first magnolia to be scientifically described under modern rules of botanicalnomenclature, and is thetype species of the genusMagnolia; asMagnolia is also thetype genus of allflowering plants (magnoliophytes), this species in a sense typifies all flowering plants.
Magnolia virginiana was one of the many species described byCarl Linnaeus.
Magnolia virginiana is anevergreen ordeciduoustree to 30 m (100 ft) tall, native to the lowlands and swamps of the Atlantic coastal plain of the easternUnited States, fromFlorida toLong Island,New York with a disjunct native population found onCape Ann in northeasternMassachusetts.[4] Whether it is deciduous or evergreen depends on climate; it is evergreen in areas with milder winters in the south of its range (zone 7 southward), and is semi-evergreen or deciduous further north. The leaves are alternate, simple (not lobed or pinnate), with entire margins, 6–12 cm long, and 3–5 cm wide. The bark is smooth and gray, with the inner bark mildly scented, the scent reminiscent of thebay laurel spice.
The flowers, which appear in late spring or early summer,[5] are creamy white, 8–14 cm diameter, with 6-15 petal-liketepals. 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, 3–5 cm long, pinkish-red when mature (in early fall[5]), with the follicles splitting open to release the 1 cm long seeds. Theseeds are black but covered by a thinly fleshy red coat, which is attractive to somefruit-eatingbirds; these swallow the seeds, digest the red coating, and disperse the seeds in their droppings.
Magnolia virginiana is often grown as an ornamental tree in gardens, and used in horticultural applications to give an architectural feel to landscape designs. It is an attractive tree forparks and largegardens, grown for its large, conspicuous, scented flowers, for its clean, attractive foliage, and for its fast growth. In warmer areasMagnolia virginiana is valued for its evergreen foliage.
The English botanist and missionaryJohn Banister collectedMagnolia virginiana in the southeastern United States in 1678 and sent it toEngland, where it flowered forBishop Henry Compton. This species was the first magnolia to be cultivated in England, although it was soon overshadowed by the evergreen, larger-flowered southern magnolia (M. grandiflora)[6]
The sweetbay magnolia has been hybridizedhorticulturally with a number of species withinsubgenusMagnolia. These species includeM. globosa,M. grandiflora,M. insignis,M. macrophylla,M. obovata,M. sieboldii andM. tripetala. Some of these hybrids have been givencultivar names and registered by the Magnolia Society.
Flowers contain the neolignans3,5′-diallyl-2′,4-dihydroxybiphenyl,4,4′-diallyl-2,3′-dihydroxybiphenyl ether,5,5′-diallyl-2,2′-dihydroxybiphenyl and3,5′-diallyl-2′-hydroxy-4-methoxybiphenyl.[7]
Media related toSweetbay Magnolia at Wikimedia Commons
