Magnolia fruits

I just don't think Magnolias get enough credit for the beauty of their fruit displays. Here's Magnolia acuminata.

Scott

Sweet bay.

Scott

And not such a great shot of M. sieboldii. The seeds of this species, when visible, are a bright, bright orange set amongs that pink seedpod.

Scott

This message was edited Sep 23, 2006 9:38 PM

That's a really nicely filled M. acuminata! Around here they seldom develop many seeds, so the fruits are lumpy and asymmetrical.

Guy S.

Something about the seeds look creepy to me, don't know why. My DDD Blanchards have a lot of seeds on them this year but they never get as red as the one pictured.

Decumbent...I believe your M. acuminata is 100% M. tripetala...even so it along with M. fraseri seem to be the most colorfull!!!...Guy's description of 'acuminata fruit paints the picture that I'm familiar with....a fruit that is much less "showy"

conifer50

Here's today's pic of 4 species of Magnolia fruit: Left to Right.....M. fraseri, M. grandifloria, M. tripetala, and M. Macrophylla.

How synchronically scary that you posted this now: just yesterday (and before I saw this thread), I noticed a M. sieboldii fruit hidden away on my plant.

My . . . er . . . ah . . . "seeds" have already popped out of the jacket, and are pretty orange. Different (I think) from most magnolias is that instead of the colorful "berry" being born singly as in Scott's Sweet Bay pic, sieboldii bears them in two's. At least mine does. I never noticed this on magnolias before, but haven't seen a whole lot of species fruits either.

Many of the fruits of the species in my earlier post have 2 seed per follicle...I think this depends on the "quality " of pollination. When you open up follicles there is often an aborted seed along with the healthy seed.

conifer50

A pic of M. tripetala with many "doubles" along with M. macrophylla

Connie 5-0,

You are correct. My error was purely one of confidence, as it turns out. I was admiring the trees when another plant geek wandered by (his camera handy, as well), and I said, "I think they're M. tripetela." And he said, "I just looked them up and they're M. acuminata." Despite being almost certain the foliage was exactly like the tripetalas I've known, and not much like the acuminatas I've known, but, well, if he had looked them up..."

Thanks for the correction.

Scott

Magnolia obovata

Resin

Resin this one looks like M. tripetala with "exserted bracts"......I've ordered seed of this beauty!..

conifer50

Hi C50,

It was a big tree (much larger than M. tripetala ever gets in Britain), at RBG Edinburgh, and the label also said 'Magnolia obovata' . . .

Resin

Finally found some good examples of "Cucumber Tree"(M. acuminata) fruit...The larger fruit are "umbrellas"

conifer50

Magnolia x loebnerii fruit.

Scott

Magnolia sieboldii