Plant

Sweetbay magnolia

Magnolia virginiana

Also known as: swamp magnolia, white bay

A native magnolia of moist coastal forests and swamps along the Atlantic coast — semi-evergreen, fragrant cream-white flowers in late spring through summer, glossy green-above and silver-below leaves. Larval host for eastern tiger swallowtail. Found at Staten Island's wetter forest edges and increasingly in native-plant residential plantings.

Scientific

[[magnolia|Magnolia]] virginiana is a 30–60 ft tree (occasionally larger southward) of moist coastal forests and swamps from Massachusetts to Florida and west to Texas. In the northern part of its range (including the New York region), the species is deciduous; in the south, semi-evergreen.

Distinctive fragrant cream-white flowers (~3 inches) appear in late spring and continue through summer. Leaves are glossy green above and notably silver-grey below — wind flips the leaves to reveal the silver underside, a recognizable identification field mark.

The species is one of the few native magnolias that tolerates regularly-saturated soil, making it valuable for bioretention plantings and wetland-edge restoration.

On Staten Island

Found at the borough’s wetter forest-edge habitats and increasingly in native-plant residential and park plantings. Among the more-fragrant native flowering trees of the borough’s summer; flower scent has notable distance carry on calm humid days.

Sources

USDA Forest Service Silvics of North America: sweetbay magnolia
Northeastern butterfly host-plant references

Rooted in life.

What links here, and how

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Scientific

cousin of

Magnolia auto-linked via shared tag: kin

1 inbound link · 3 outbound

Scientific

On Staten Island

See also

Sources

What links here, and how