2 8 A U B O K E T U M E T F R U I I C E I U M B R I T A N N I C U M .
e inches long, ;md about 2 in. in diameter ; it is of a heautifid rose colour, and
con:ains iisualh’ from 50 to 60 seeds. This sjiecies is very hardy, and can
withstand the most rigorous winters, when the summer has been sufficiently
hot to ripen the wood thoroughly. As it is a short-lived tree, and consequently
flowers early, there is n ot the same objection to raising plants of it
from seed, as th e re is to raising plants in th a t manner o f M. grandiflòra,
which IS a long-lived species. The soil should be a deep, rich, sandy loam, and
the situation sheltered and shaded. Exposure to the sun is iniurious ; and,
trained against a south wall, the plant suffers extremely. A sheltered glade
in a shrubbery or wood, where the tre e is sufficiently distant from others not to
be injured by their roots, is the most desirable site. In the nurseries it is
almost always propagated by seeds, which should be sown immediateiy after
they are g athered, as when they are left exposed they become rancid and lose
their vital qualities ; though, if envelofied in moist moss or earth, they may be
preserved for several months. The plants should be kept in pots until
required for final transplanting.
5" 4. M. m a c ro ph y'lla Mx. The long-leaved Magnolia.
'’' I ? ' '• *’■ '• p- SO- ; Uon’s Mill., 1. p . 83. ; T o r.
Svwonjrwi.’ Large-leaved Umbre lla T re e , Am e r. ; Magnòlia M ichauxii H o rt. ; Magnolier k g randes
t e u ille s , Magnolier bannanier, F r . ; g rossebla ttrige IJieberbaum, Ger.
E n g ra vin g s. Bot. Mag., 2189. ; th e plate in Arb. Brit., 1st edit. vol. v. ; and o u rjig . 38.
Spec. Char.,^c. Deciduous. Leaves very large, oblong-obovate, somewhat pandu-
riform, cordate a t the base, under surface whitish, glaucous. Pe ta ls 6—9 ,
ovate. [Don’s Mill.) A deciduous tre e o f the middle size. North Carolina
and Georgia. Height 30 ft. to 40 ft. in America ; 1 5 ft. to 30 ft. in
England. Introduced in 1800. Flowers white, with a purple spot near
the base o f each p e ta l; 8 in. to 10 in. in diameter, fragrant; Ju n e and
July. Strobile rose-coloured; ripe in October. Decaying leaves yellow,
brown, o r black. Naked young wood o f a whitish brown.
3 8 . M a g n ò lia 'm a c ro p h y lla .
I I I . M A G N O L / r i 'U Æ Æ : M A G N o ' l /A . 2 9
The general appcai-ance o f this tree greatly resembles th a t o f Magnòlia
tripetala. The terminal arrangement o f the leaves is th e same, and it is
remarkable th a t m America the two trees are almost always found together.
In point o f size, it exceeds the M. tripétala, both in its leaves and general
hei'dit ; but it is seldom found higher than 35 ft., which exceeds the height
of th e ’other by a sixth part only. The body o f the tree is covered with
a smooth and very white bark, by which, in the winter, when stripped ot
its leave.s, it is readily distinguished from M. tripétala. A t this season, also, it
may be distinguished by its buds, which are compressed, and covered with a
soft and silvery down ; whereas in M. tripétala the)’ are prominent and rounded
at the end. The leaves, in its native country, are 35 in. long, and 9 or 10
inches broad ; and in vigorous plants, in England, they sometimes even exceed
these dimensions. They are borne on petioles short in comparison with the
size of the leaves, and are of an oblong oval shape, [lointed at th e extremity,
and cordiform at the b a se ; their colour is light green above, and glaucous
beneath. The fruit is about 4 in. long, nearly cylindrical, and of a vivid rose-
colour when arrived a t maturity. Young plants of this species grow very
slowly till they are thoroughly established, which will require, in general,
two years. The year’s shoots may then be from 1 ft. to 2 ft. ; so th a t in ten
years a plant may attain the height of 12 o r 15 feet. I t may be considered
a short-lived tree, and, like all such, it comes into flower when young. It has
rarely, if ever, been propagated in this country by inarching or layers, and
very seldom from seeds ; and, hence, the plant is very sparingly distributed.
Soil, propagation, &c., as in M. tripétala. Seeds are ripened in France, and
young plants imported from th a t country, or from North America.
Ï 5. M. acumina' ta L . Th e poìnteà-leaved Magnolia.
[dentification. Lin. Sp., 766.; Dec. P ro d ., 1. p. 8 0 .; Don’s Mill., l . p . 8 3 . ; T o r. and Gray, 1.
p. 43.
fiynonymes. M. rù stica , and M. pennsylvânica, o f soine ; th e blue Magnolia, En g . ; th e Cucumber
T re e, V. S. ; Magnolier acuminc, Magnolier à Feuille s pointées, F r. ; zugespitzcr Bieberbaum,
Derivation. T h is species is called th e Cucumber T re e , in America, from its fru it resembling a
small cucumber. T h e o th er names a re transla tions of th e botanic one.
Engravings. Mich. Arb., 3. p. 82. t. 3. ; Bot. Mag., 2427. ; and th e plate in Arb. B rit., 1st edit,
vol. V. ; an d om f ig . 39.
Spec. Char., Sfc. Deciduous. Leaves oval, acuminate, under surface pubescent.
Flowers 6—9-petaled. (Doris Mill.) A deciduous tree of large size. New
York to Georgia. Height in America 60 ft. to 80 ft., with the trunk
4 ft. to 5 ft. in diameter a t the base ; in England 30 ft. to 50 ft. In tro duced
in 1736. Flowers yellowish within, glaucous without, slightly frag
ra n t; May to July. Strobile cylindrical, brownish red, 3 in. long; ripe
in October. Decaying leaves dark brown or black. Wood of a mahogany
brown.
Varieties.
Î M . a. 2 Candólli Savi. — Leaves ovate oblong, acute. Flowers greenish.
Figured in Savi’s Bibl. Ital., p. 2 24.
t -M. a. 3 niavinia Lodd.-—Leaves much larger than those of the original
species. Introduced by Messrs. Loddiges, and cultivated in different
nurseries.
Other, Varieties. The Magnòlia acuminàta being frequently raised from
seed, and the seedlings varying much in the size of their leaves, and in the
presence or absence o f pubescence, both on the leaves and wood, it would
be easy to select several varieties apparently as distinct as those above
mentioned, such as M. s tria ta , latifòlia, &c. In the Goldworth Nursery,
Woking, Surrey, are some which appear remarkably distinct.
Trunk straight, branches numerous, shoots regularly distributed. The
leaves are from 6 in. to 7 in. long, and ftom 3 in. to 4 in. broad, upoi. old
trees, but double th a t size upon young vigorous-growing plants. Michaux
describes them as oval, entire, and very acuminate ; but, in th e seedlings
raised in British nurseries, they are found sometimes ovate, nearly orbiculate.