Trees/ Southern Magnolia

Common name: Southern Magnolia

          Scientific name: Magnolia grandiflora
          
         Pronunciation: mag-NO-lee-uh gran-dih-FLOR-uh

         Characteristics: Height: 60 to 80 feet
                                    Spread: 30 to 40 feet
                                    Light requirement: full sun, partial sun or partial shade
                                    Flower color: white/cream/gray
                                    Leaf type and persistence: evergreen, broadleaf evergreen
                                    Landscape use: The five to 8-inch-long, leathery, oblong, shiny leaves are shed as new foliage emerges but the debris is well-hidden by the dense foliage of the lower limbs, if they are left on the tree. But some people consider this a litter nuisance when the large, slowly-decomposing leaves drop on the sidewalk, lawn or patio. The underside of the leaves is covered with a fine, red-brown fuzz which is more prominent on some selections than others. In late spring and sporadically throughout the summer, huge, 8-inch-diameter, waxy, fragrant, white blossoms open to perfume the entire garden.