Identification: Magnolia? Shrub

Discussion in 'Magnoliaceae' started by RICHARD MASSON, Jul 16, 2014.

  1. RICHARD MASSON

    RICHARD MASSON Active Member

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    The three pictures are all of the same very large shrub.
    To me the leaves look like a Magnolia, but it is huge, just under the height of a single storey building.
    It is coming into flower now - in July - whilst normal sized Magnolia planted in Kent UK - in domestic gardens flowers about April or May.
    The location is in a courtyard setting.
    The shrub looks very strong and healthy-with little or no attention given to it.
    Is it a Magnolia or something else?
     

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  2. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    I'm sure it's a magnolia, so have move the thread to the Magnoliaceae forum. You say it's coming into flower now, but that's this year's fruit in the third photo, so you have missed seeing some earlier flowers.

    I have no business guessing magnolia IDs, but I'm thinking some sort of Magnolia liliiflora, which have leaves with the purplish flowers and are relatively late blooming.
     
  3. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Saucer magnolia.
     
  4. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    So Magnolia x soulangeana. Thanks, Ron.
     
  5. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Leaves look typical for this kind. Otherwise, of course, many different hybrid cultivars have been named and propagated - the next step would be to see the spring bloom.
     
  6. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Ah, that's what threw me, as I was looking for the latest blooming flowers that could be this colour, forgetting that it could be a spring bloomer that was just opening the odd flower now. And forgetting that I did a posting of just such late flowers. I see the purple one I posted I thought was M. liliiflora 'Nigra'. To me, the leaves in the photos here look different photo-to-photo, and I'm not picking up on the difference to the one I posted. Maybe I got my ID wrong, though it was a small tree, if I remember correctly.
     
  7. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    The summer bloom is typical of M. liliiflora hybrids. Lily magnolia produces a shorter, narrower leaf than saucer magnolia, which has the broad leaf of the Yulan influencing its shape. Different clones of saucer magnolia show different combinations of characters, some of the better named forms such as 'Brozzonii' and 'Picture' produce Yulan-like growth habits and leaves.
     
  8. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Thanks. I checked my test version of the garden's soon-to-be-released Vancouver Trees app, and I see that Yulan is M. denudata, and the saucer magnolia is a hybrid of that and the lily magnolia.

    Richard, thanks for posting this!
     
  9. RICHARD MASSON

    RICHARD MASSON Active Member

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    Just to clarify - please confirm the agreed plant name!
    Thank you!
     
  10. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Saucer magnolia.
     

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