Umbrella Magnolia

Description
Native magnolia with 10-24 in. leaves clustered at end of stems. Tolerates close to full shade, but will grow in full sun, particularly in the northern climates as long as soils are kept moist. Generally intolerant of soil extremes (dry or wet), and should be planted in areas protected from strong winds to prevent damage to the leaves.

Magnolia tripetala’s large leaves appear in whorl-like clusters at the stem tips resembling the spokes of an umbrella. This is an understory tree native to rich moist woods, ravines, slopes and along streams in the Appalachian Mountains from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky, as well as the Blue Ridge Mountains into South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. It is a small, often multi-trunked, tree that typically grows to 30′ tall, but may grow to 45′ tall. Unpleasantly scented bowl-shaped, creamy white 6-10″ flowers bloom in Spring. Each flower has 6 or up to 12 petal-like tepals, which are followed by cone-like pink 4″ fruits that ripen in fall. Gray bark is thin and smooth.