Discussion

Return to Magnolias

The painting subject in week 4 this semester was purple magnolias (Magnolia liliiflora), the tree called shi mokuren in Japanese. You can look that information up in week 4 of Canvas, but these photos may serve as a reminder. This is the Magnolia liliiflora tree.

Here is a close-up of one of its blossoms.

Magnolias

Magnolia trees are a large genus of flowering trees with from 210 to 340 species. Research is learning new things about them that has resulted in major modifications to magnolia taxonomy as recently as 2020. New species are still being identified. Magnolias are ancient trees. Fossil traces as old as 60 million years have been found.

The natural range of modern magnolias is split between two large areas; one in east, south, and southeast Asia; and the other in eastern North America, Central America, the West Indies, and some in South America. Eight species are native to the U.S.

The southern magnolia is so popular that it is both the state flower and state tree of Mississippi, and it is the state flower of Louisiana. One was planted on the White House grounds by President Jackson that survived for about 200 years before it needed to be removed. One of the cuttings from that tree has replaced the original.

Southern magnolias can grow up to 80 feet tall and 40 feet wide. Younger trees have been known to grow from 1 to 2 feet per year. It is an evergreen tree.

Depending on conditions where they grow, most new southern magnolia blossoms appear from mid-April to late May, and they last several weeks. The blossoms grow on the tips of twigs.

Fully open blossoms can be as much as 12 inches across.

Over time, the stamens fall off, and the tepals soon follow.

What is left behind is called a strobilus.

Seeds appear and become fully mature by mid-September to early October.

This similarity in appearance to dogwoods is coincidental. In every other respect, the trees are very different from each other. The seeds are popular with squirrels, possums, quail, and turkeys who spread the indigestible parts through their stool.

As evergreens, southern magnolias have foliage all year round. As can be seen in the photo, the leaves are two-toned.

Leaves can grow nearly 8 inches long and close to 5 inches wide.

Southern magnolia bark typically looks like this, though old trees can have bark that is flaky.

Southern magnolia wood is used to make furniture, pallets, and veneer among other uses.

Other Magnolias

There are too many other magnolia species to be able to say much about them. Here are just a few interesting ones.

The saucer magnolia is a cross between the white-flowered Magnolia denudata and Magnolia lillflora, the purple magnolia. it is a deciduous tree. The blossoms appear before the leaves come out.

The common name for Magnolia stellata is the star magnolia.

The cucumber magnolia (Magnolia acuminata) has bright yellow blossoms.

Umbrella magnolia (Magnolia tripetala) has leaves the circle the stem like spokes of an umbrella.

Artwork

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797 – 1858)

Besides being famous for his landscapes, Hiroshige was also a prolific artist of kachō-ga (pictures of birds and flowers). Produced sometime in the 1830 to 1835 time frame, this is his Black-naped Oriole and Magnolia print.

Imao Keinen (1845 – 1924)

Keinen's greatest claim to fame was his 1892 publication of Keinen Kachō Gafu (Keinen's Book of Birds and Flowers Pictures). I used one of his pictures of a bird and magnolia in week 4. Here is another.

Ohara Koson (1877 – 1945)

Koson was a prominent member of the early 20th century shin-hanga (new prints) movement to restore traditional Japanese subjects, values, and techniques to Japanese print making. This is an early print of his made sometime before 1923; Blue Bird and Magnolia.