Bigleaf Magnolia Tree Seeds | Large-Leaved Cucumber Tree | (Magnolia macrophylla)

The largest leaves and largest flowers of any native tree in North America.

Magnolia macrophylla, the Bigleaf Magnolia, produces the largest simple leaves of any native tree in North America, paddle-shaped leaves that can reach 30 inches in length and 12 inches across, giving the tree an unmistakably tropical, bold presence that no other temperate native can match. The flowers that appear in late spring and early summer are equally remarkable, creamy white bowls up to 16 inches across with deep purple centers that are among the largest flowers of any temperate tree in the world. The tree grows naturally in rich, moist woodland coves in the Appalachians and Gulf Coast plain where it occupies the understory and mid-canopy, bringing an exotic, prehistoric quality to the forest interior that stops everyone who encounters it. If you are looking to buy Bigleaf Magnolia seeds or grow this extraordinary native from seed, this is the tree that makes people question whether they are still in North America.

• The largest simple leaves of any native tree in North America, up to 30 inches long
• Creamy white flowers up to 16 inches across, among the largest flowers of any temperate tree in the world
• Tropical, prehistoric appearance completely unlike any other native temperate tree
• Native to moist woodland coves of the Appalachians and Gulf Coast, shade-tolerant understory tree
• Brilliant red seed cones in fall following the flowers, ornamental in their own right

Things you probably did not know about the Bigleaf Magnolia

The leaves are so large they were used as emergency food wrapping and cooking vessels by Appalachian settlers. The enormous, slightly waxy leaves of Bigleaf Magnolia were used throughout Appalachian folk culture as wrapping for food items during outdoor cooking and travel, similar to the banana leaf technique used in tropical cooking traditions. The leaf size makes them practical for wrapping cornbread, vegetables, and fish for cooking in embers or for carrying food on the trail.

The species has one of the most restricted natural ranges of any Appalachian tree. Bigleaf Magnolia grows naturally only in scattered, isolated coves and ravines across a relatively small area of the central and southern Appalachians and Gulf Coastal plain, making it one of the most geographically restricted native hardwoods of the region. Within its natural range it is locally common in suitable microhabitats but absent from most of the surrounding landscape. This rarity within its own native territory adds to the sense of discovery when encountering it.

The flowers last only one to two days individually but the tree produces them over several weeks. Individual Bigleaf Magnolia flowers open for a single day, closing in the evening and either reopening briefly the following morning or dropping. The tree compensates by producing new flowers sequentially over several weeks in late spring and early summer, extending the overall flowering period even though each individual flower is ephemeral. The fallen flowers accumulate beneath the tree in creamy white mounds.

The enormous leaves produce the deepest leaf litter of any eastern native hardwood. The annual leaf drop of Bigleaf Magnolia creates a deep, slow-decomposing layer of litter beneath the tree that insulates the soil, retains moisture, and creates a specific microhabitat for salamanders, large invertebrates, and the fungi that break down the leaves. The sheer volume of organic material produced annually by a large Bigleaf Magnolia is greater than most other native trees of comparable size.

Growing Details

• Botanical Name: Magnolia macrophylla
• Stratification: Required, 90 to 120 days cold moist stratification
• USDA Zones: 5 to 9
• Soil: Rich, moist, well-drained, slightly acidic, sheltered from strong winds that damage the large leaves
• Light: Partial shade to full sun, best in filtered light similar to its natural woodland cove habitat
• Height: 30 to 50 feet
• Spread: 20 to 30 feet
• Growth Rate: Slow to moderate, 1 to 1.5 feet per year

Plant it in a sheltered spot where the enormous leaves will not be shredded by wind and where the scale can be appreciated without the tree competing for space with other large specimens. One Bigleaf Magnolia in the right setting does more than a dozen ordinary ornamentals in the wrong one.