Magnolia fraseri
Mountain magnolia (Magnolia fraseri ), illustration from Curtis's botanical magazine
In humid forests of the southern Appalachian mountain magnolia (Magnolia fraseri ) a plant grows from the genus Magnolia. The medium-sized tree was named after John Fraser, the English name is "mountain magnolia ."
Description
The Mountain Magnolia is a deciduous tree, it is up to 20 meters high, in exceptional cases up to 30 meters. The smooth bark is gray or gray - brown.
The leaves are clustered at the ends of the branches. The blade shape is rhombic to spatulate, the leaf base is cordate or auriculate. The blade tip is slightly pointed. The blades reach a length of 15 to 30 centimeters and a width of eight to 18 centimeters. The top is green and smooth, underside the leaves are bright green and blue frosting. The petiole is five to ten centimeters, stipules are present.
The fragrant, creamy white flowers reach a diameter of ten to 30 centimeters. They are individually at the ends of branches. They open depending on the altitude from April to June of two smooth, buds scale-like bracts. The three outer tepals are reflexed green and wide, the inner six open slowly. The petals are spatulate to oval, up to five centimeters wide and strikingly narrow in the lower third. In the center of the flower there are 100 to 200 white stamens and 50 to 90 stamps. The peg-like, hairless fruit stand ( Sammelbalgfrucht ) is oval with a length of five to 13 and a diameter of three to five centimeters. He turns pink - red, purple or dark brown when ripe. The individual follicles are geschäbelt long, they each contain one or two of one centimeter, lens-shaped seeds. These are surrounded by a bright red seed coat ( aril ).
Dissemination
The mountain magnolia grows in eastern North America in the southern Appalachians. Your sites are located in the mountainous region between 300 and 1500 meters above sea level, of West Virginia over Virginia and Tennessee to Georgia. The climate is temperate and humid with annual rainfall of 1000 to 2000 mm. The deposits usually consist of a few individuals and are isolated.
The locations are moist valleys and slopes with humus and nutrient -rich soils, the pH is slightly acidic. Seedlings can also be found on more exposed sites.
Associated is the mountain magnolia with the sugar maple ( Acer saccharum ), the American beech ( Fagus grandifolia ), Aesculus flava, the American linden (Tilia americana), various hickories ( Carya ) and oaks like Quercus alba, Quercus coccinea, Quercus rubra and Quercus prinus.
Use
This magnolia is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental tree. After England it was introduced in 1786 by both John Fraser and William Bartram, to France in 1789 by André Michaux. Today it is rarely commercially available, no varieties were read out. Crossings with other Magnolia species are possible, but not commercially.
The wood is sometimes marketed in the trade along with the tulip tree, but it has little value as firewood or in paper production.
System
Within the genus Magnolia Magnolia fraseri belongs to the subgenus Magnolia, there in the section Auriculata. Nearest relative is Magnolia pyramidata, which can be distinguished by their smaller size and different leaf shape, they inhabited a geographically isolated area on the Gulf of Mexico. Sometimes Magnolia pyramidata is var as a variety Magnolia fraseri pyramidata ( Bartram ) Pampanini out. More magnolias that grow in the south-eastern North America and Magnolia fraseri are close to, the Moreton Bay magnolia and the umbrella magnolia.
Was named Magnolia fraseri by Walter in 1788, he dedicated it to John Fraser, his friend and collaborator.