Magnolia is a genus with about 120 species of plants in the Magnolia family. They are mainly located in the eastern United States, Mexico, Central America, Southeast Asia, and South America.

Table of Contents

Name’s origin

The genus is named after Pierre Magnol, a botanist from Montpellier (France). The first identified species of this genus was M. virginiana, found by missionaries sent to North America in the 1680s. M. grandiflora was also found there, as early as the 18th century.

Evolution

Magnolia is an ancient family that evolved before bees appeared, so the flowers developed so that they could be pollinated by beetles. As a consequence, they have hard carpets to avoid deterioration. Fossilized specimens of M. acuminata have been found 20 million years old and plants belonging to the Magnoliaceae family dating back 95 million years have been identified. Another distinctive feature of magnolias is the absence of sepals or petals; instead they have tepals, a term that was coined to refer to this intermediate element.

Selected species

This species list has been adapted from that used by the Magnolia Society. [2] It is not the last word in the Magnolia genus sub-classification, since a clear consensus has not yet been reached. The list is divided into sub-genres, 12 sections and 13 subsections. Each species is indicated in the same way: Botanical name Authority of the binomial. – Common name, if you have it (Region where it is located)

Subgenus Magnolia

The stamens are opened dividing by the front looking at the center of the flower. Deciduous or evergreen. Flowers produced after the leaves.

Magnolia Section

Magnolia grandiflora L. – Common magnolia (Southeast USA)
Magnolia guatemalensis Donn. Ye. (Guatemala)
Magnolia guatemalensis ssp. hondurensis (Molina) Vazquez (Honduras, El Salvador)
Magnolia iltisiana Vazquez (Western Mexico)
Magnolia pacifica Vazquez (Western Mexico)
Magnolia pacifica ssp. pugana Iltis & Vazquez (Western Mexico)
Magnolia pacifica ssp. Tarahumara Vazquez (Western Mexico)
Magnolia panamensis Vazquez & Iltis (Panama)
Magnolia poasana (Pittier) Dandy (Costa Rica, Panama)
Magnolia schiedeana Schltdl. (Eastern Mexico)
Magnolia sharpii Meranda (Chiapas, Mexico)
Magnolia sororum Seibert (Panama)
Magnolia sororum ssp. lutea Vazquez (Costa Rica, Panama)
Magnolia tamaulipana Vazquez (Northeast of Mexico)
Magnolia virginiana Linn (Southeast USA)
Magnolia yoroconte Dandy (Honduras)

Gwillimia Section

Gwillimia Subsection

Magnolia albosericea Chun & Tsoong. (Hainan IS.)
Magnolia championii Benth (South and Southeast China)
Magnolia coco (Lour.) DC. (Southeast China)
Magnolia delavayi Franchet (Yunnan, China)
Fistulous Magnolia (Finet & Gagnep.) Dandy (Southeast Yunnan, China)
Magnolia henryi Dunn (Yunnan, China)
Magnolia nana Dandy (Vietnam)
Magnolia odoratissima Law et Zhou (South China)
Magnolia pterocarpa Roxb. (Nepal, Burma)

Blumiana subsection

Magnolia gigantifolia (Miq.) Noot. (Borneo, Sumatra)
Magnolia hodgsonii (Hook.f. & Thom.) H.Keng (Nepal, Burma)
Magnolia lasia Noot. (Borneo)
Magnolia liliifera (L.) Baillon (Southeast Asia)
Magnolia liliifera var. angatensis (White) Noot. (Philippines)
Magnolia liliifera var. beccarii (Ridley) Noot. (Borneo)
Magnolia liliifera var. obovata (Korth.) Govaerts (Borneo)
Magnolia liliifera var. singapurensis (Ridley) Noot. (Singapore, Sumatra)
Magnolia mariusjacobsia Noot. (Borneo)
Magnolia persuaveolens Dandy (Borneo)
Magnolia persuaveolens ssp. stiff Noot. (Borneo)
Magnolia sarawakensis (Agostini) Noot. (Borneo)
Magnolia villosa (Miq.) H.Keng (Sumatra, Borneo)

Magnolia-grandiflora