| Sweet Bay Magnolia |
| Location: Corner of
Eisenhower Hall |
| The Magnolia genus contains more than
100 flowering plants. The beautiful flowers are what makes
Magnolia a favorite among the flowering trees for landscape design. Most Magnolias prefer moist, acidic soil, in partial sun. The multiple stemmed specimens growing here are commonly called Swamp Magnolia or Sweetbay Magnolia. These are common names for Magnolia virginiana. The name of the genus honors Pierre Magnol, a 17th Century French botanist who was the director of a botanical garden at Montpellier and the physician of King Louis XIV. The plant grows natively in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains. Other members of the Magnolia Family are widely distributed throughout the world. The multi-trunked tree’s branches do not droop, a characteristic that helps in its survival during times of heavy rain or flooding. Notice that the older stems are grey but young twigs are green or greenish yellow. The Sweetbay Magnolia changes and adapts to different climates. In the South, this tree is an evergreen that reaches 60 feet! In the North, the plant is deciduous and can be a mere 20 feet tall. The beautiful creamy white flowers bloom in May, June, and sporadically through the summer’s end. The cup-shaped flowers have an aromatic lemon scent. -- Jody Kuhn
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