FNPS Plant Database

Magnolia acuminata

cucumber magnolia
  • Photo by: Bruce Marlin, from Wikipedia Commons
  • Photo by: By Liné1 - from Wikipedia Commons

Nomenclature

Common Name:

cucumber magnolia

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Magnolia acuminata

Family:

Magnoliaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

70-80 (100) ft tall by 35-55 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

red, brown

Phenology:

deciduous

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Shade or specimen tree.

Considerations:

Plant where there is plenty of space both because the tree itself is large, and because its roots need substantial space, which should not be compacted - loose, friable soil preferred.

Availability:

Seed

Propagation:

Seed, cuttings

Light:

Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

Acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Birds

Beetles are the primary pollinators of magnolia flowers. The flowers have a hardened carpel to avoid damage by their gnawing mandibles as the feed. The beetles are after the protein-rich pollen. Because the beetles are interesting in pollen and pollen alone, the flowers mature in a way that ensures cross pollination. The male parts mature first and offer said pollen. The female parts of the flower are second to mature. They produce no reward for the beetles but are instead believed to mimic the male parts, ensuring that the beetles will spend some time exploring and thus effectively pollinating the flowers ( In Defense of Plants blog).

Birds eat  (and transport) the seeds.

Native Habitats:

Slope forest, upland mixed forest. Rare in Florida.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Florida is at the extreme southern limit of the range of this species. 



Listed as Endangered in Florida.  It is more common in states to the north, and its range extends into Ontario.

FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Burns, Russell M., and Barbara H. Honkala [Technical coordinators]. (1990). Silvics of North America: Volume 2. Hardwoods. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook 654. ( https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/1548 ). Accessed 2025.


University of Tennessee Extension Service. (2010). Desired pH Range and salt tolerance of common nursery plants. ( https://plantsciences.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2021/10/Desired-pH-Range-List.pdf ). Accessed 2026. University of Tennessee Extension, Knoxville.


Watkins, John and Thomas Sheehan. (1975). Florida Landscape Plants, Native and Exotic. University Presses of Florida, Gainesville.


Werier, David, Kyle Webster, Troy Weldy, Andrew Nelson, Richard Mitchell, and Robert Ingalls. (2026). Magnolia acuminata. New York Flora Atlas. ( http://newyork.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?id=1899 ). Accessed 2026. [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (original application development), USF Water Institute. University of South Florida]. New York Flora Association, Albany, New York.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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