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Magnolia pyramidata Bartr.

Modern name

Magnolia fraseri var. pyramidata (Bartram) Pamp.

Originally discovered by William Bartram in Georgia, on the banks of the Altamaha River, and recognised by him as a species, this magnolia was by later botanists confused with M.fraseri. Although closely allied, the two are now considered quite distinct. The leaves of the present species are much smaller (usually less than 8 in. long), of thinner texture, narrowing to a waist near the base, the basal lobes spreading. The flowers, too, are smaller, 3 to 5 in. across, and the tree more erect and pyramidal, as is implied by the name. Whilst M. fraseri is an inland mountain plant, this species affects low-lying regions of Georgia and the Carolinas. Whether it is at present in cultivation I am not aware. It was introduced early in the 19th century, and grew in Messrs Loddiges’s nursery at Hackney about 1837. George Nicholson saw it in the Trianon Gardens in 1887, and quite possibly it survives in some of the old gardens in the warmer parts of the country under the name of M. fraseri. It is, no doubt, more tender than M. fraseri.


Genus

Magnolia

Other species in the genus