Contents
What is southern magnolia?
Characteristics of the Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
Scientific name: Magnolia grandiflora
English common name: Southern magnolia, bull bay
Habitat: Native to the southeastern United States, it can be found cultivated in many regions of the world with mild winters.
Southern magnolia description:
Southern magnolia is an evergreen tree in the magnolia family. Leaves are leathery, glabrous, shiny green on the upper side, with reddish hair on the underside. Their shape is ovate and they can reach up to 20 cm in length.
Very large and showy white flowers with 9 to 12 petals. This tree produces many flowers that appear alternately as others wilt. It blooms from early to mid-summer.
Southern magnolia seeds are very large. They are reddish in color and appear in very showy cones. Trees produce seeds when they are 10 years old, entering full production at 25 years of age. Southern magnolia seeds are food for many animals, such as squirrels, quail and other mammals or birds.
Southern magnolia components
The main components are:
- Coumarins (Leaves)
- Sesquiterpenic lactones: parthenolide, costunolide, santamarin, reinosin (Leaves)
- Phenols: Magnolol, honokiol, magnaldehyde, etc (Plant)
- Flavonoids: cyanidin, quercetin.
- Essential oil, rich in: Alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, camphene, caryophyllene, bornyl-acetate, cryptomeridiol, alpha-eumesdol, beta-eumesdol.
- Minerals: calcium, iron, manganese, potassium, sodium, zinc (bark)
- Alkaloids: michelarbine, salicifolin, anonaine, magnoflorine, liriodenine, tubocuranine, magnocuranine (Plant)
Southern magnolia uses
Southern magnolia wood
The wood of this tree is very appreciated in the construction of furniture, doors and plates for decoration. It is also used to make pallets and crates in the packaging and transportation industry. It is white. It is considered to have moderate strength, heaviness, and hardness.
Wood rots easily in the open, so it is recommended to use it for interior objects.
As an ornamental plant
Southern magnolia is used in landscaping as an ornamental tree for parks or gardens. It is planted in flowerbeds or to decorate large city avenues.
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