Magnolia

Magnolia, a genus comprising some twenty trees or shrubs, named after Pierre Magnol, professor at Montpellier in the 17th and 18th centuries, and giving its name to the thalamifloral order Magnoliaoeae. They have scattered, entire, leathery leaves, generally large, with large deciduous stipules, and themselves either evergreen or deciduous. The large, terminal flowers are white, pink, or purple, and often fragrant. They have three sepals, six, nine, or twelve petals in whorls of three, indefinite stamens and carpels, arranged spirally, the latter forming follicles from which. when split, the ripe seeds hang by remarkably long funicles. They are natives of North America, Mexico, Japan, China, and the Himalayas. M. acuminata, the cucumber-tree; M. tripetala, the umbrella-tree; M. glauca, the swamp sassafras or beaver-tree, and the favourite M. grandiflora, were introduced from North America, mostly in the last century. M. conspicua, from Japan and China, flowers before producing its leaves, as also does the most magnificent M. campbelli of Sikkim and Darjiling, which reaches 80 feet in height and 12 feet in girth, with white or pink flowers 10 inches acros-J.