FNPS Plant Database

Magnolia virginiana

sweet-bay magnolia

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

Nomenclature

Common Name:

sweet-bay magnolia

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Magnolia virginiana

Family:

Magnoliaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

20-30 (60) ft by 10-15 ft.  Forms clonal thickets when growing in wet areas.

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

red,brown

Phenology:

Evergreen. Blooms mid- to late spring. Fruits ripen late summer-fall.

Noted For:

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen plant in moist areas. Rain gardens and bioswales. Wetland tree. In wetlands, it forms clonal thickets making it useful for wetland restoration.

Considerations:

Availability:

Propagation:

Seed.  Cuttings.

Light:

Moisture Tolerance:

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

Coming Soon!

4 ---to--- 8

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

1

Soil or Other Substrate:

Soil pH:

Acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

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



Don't know your zone? Click here to search by zip code.

Ecology

Wildlife:

Text

Native Habitats:

Bay swamp, forested seep slopes, floodplains of small streams, low flatwoods where fire has been excluded.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

The silvery undersides of the leaves are striking.



Erroneously listed as a host for palamedes swallowtail butterflies. Palamedes swallowtails only feed on native members of the genus Persea.

Citations:

Arbor Day Foundation.   https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=865. 



https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/430/430-031/430-031_pdf.pdf (salt spray tolerance)



Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H.; [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 ). 



Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell.  1999.  Native Florida Plants.  Gulf Publishing Company.  Houston, TX.



Huegel, Craig, N.  2010.  Native plant landscaping for Florida wildlife.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL. (wildlife uses)



Institute for Regional Conservation.  Accessed 2021.  Natives for Your Neighborhood.   https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Magnvirg.



Minno, Marc and Maria Minno.  1999. Florida Butterfly Gardening.  University Press of Florida. 



Nelson, Gil.  2003.  Florida's Best Landscape Plants. Association of Florida Native Nurseries.



Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A gardener's guide to Florida's native plants.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.



Nelson, Gil.  2003.  Florida's Best Landscape Plants. Association of Florida Native Nurseries.



Tras, Pamela. 2001.  Gardening for Florida's butterflies.  Great Outdoors Publishing, St. Petersburg, FL.



University of Tennessee Extension Service.  Desired Ph Range and salt tolerance of common nursery plants.    https://extension.tennessee.edu/mtnpi/Documents/handouts/Fertility/Desired-pH-Range-List.pdf   accessed 2021.



Watkins, John and Thomas Sheehan.  1975.  Florida Landscapt Plants, Native and Exotic. University Presses of Florida, Gainesville. (light, soil, salt)



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu /).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

Request an update