{"slug":"magnolia-grandiflora","scientific_name":"Magnolia grandiflora","common_names":["Southern magnolia","Bull bay","Evergreen magnolia"],"family":"Magnoliaceae","type":"broadleaf_evergreen","mature_height_m":20,"mature_spread_m":12,"growth_rate":"medium","lifespan_years":100,"hardiness_zones":[6,10],"sun":"full_partial","water":"medium","soil":"Rich, well-drained, acidic to neutral loam; tolerates clay but not standing water; can yellow on strongly alkaline soils","native_range":"Southeastern coastal plain from North Carolina to Florida and west to east Texas","description":"The South's signature evergreen: a dense pyramidal tree (50-80 feet) with huge glossy leaves, rusty brown underneath, and dinner-plate white flowers that perfume the yard in late spring and summer. It casts deep shade, drops thick leathery leaves all year, and is too big for many suburban lots; compact cultivars like Little Gem fit better.","care":"Water deeply and regularly for the first two or three summers and keep a mulch ring; it dislikes drying out. Prune only after flowering, and leave the low limbs if you want to hide the leaf litter. Fertilize with an acid-type fertilizer in spring if leaves yellow. Scale and sooty mold are the usual pests. In Austin it does best on deep soils east of the Balcones Escarpment with extra water.","benefits":["flowers","shade","wildlife","birds","salt_tolerant","storm_resistant","long_lived"],"uses":["yard_shade","parks","screening"],"cautions":["heavy_litter","large_roots"],"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Magn%C3%B2lia_a_Verbania.JPG","image_credit":"Josep Renalias Lohen11, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons","sources":["https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/MAGR4","https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MAGR4","https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/magnolia-grandiflora/","https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_magr4.pdf"],"data_note":null,"updated_at":"2026-11-08T01:00:46.205Z","page_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/magnolia-grandiflora","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/magnolia-grandiflora.md","regions":[{"country":"US","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Also native in: MD, VA (USDA PLANTS distribution)","source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/MAGR4"},{"country":"US","region":"AL","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/MAGR4"},{"country":"US","region":"AR","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/MAGR4"},{"country":"US","region":"FL","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/MAGR4"},{"country":"US","region":"GA","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/MAGR4"},{"country":"US","region":"LA","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/MAGR4"},{"country":"US","region":"MS","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/MAGR4"},{"country":"US","region":"NC","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/MAGR4"},{"country":"US","region":"SC","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/MAGR4"},{"country":"US","region":"TN","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/MAGR4"},{"country":"US","region":"TX","locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Native to the pineywoods of east Texas; widely planted but not native in Central Texas","source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/MAGR4"},{"country":"US","region":"CA","locality":"Los Angeles","status":"recommended","note":"On the City Plants (Los Angeles) Street Tree Species List","source_url":"https://www.cityplants.org/street-tree-species-list/"},{"country":"US","region":"CA","locality":"Sacramento","status":"recommended","note":"On the Sacramento Tree Foundation Shady 80 recommended trees list","source_url":"https://sactree.org/best-trees-for-sacramento/"},{"country":"US","region":"DC","locality":"Washington","status":"recommended","note":"On the Casey Trees Tree Rebate eligible species list","source_url":"https://caseytrees.org/rebate"},{"country":"US","region":"GA","locality":"Atlanta","status":"recommended","note":"On the Trees Atlanta Top 50 Atlanta Trees list","source_url":"https://treesatlanta.org/resources/50-atlanta-trees/"},{"country":"US","region":"TX","locality":"Dallas","status":"recommended","note":"On the City of Dallas Article X Approved Tree List","source_url":"https://dallas.gov/departments/sustainabledevelopment/buildinginspection/DCH%20documents/pdf/BI_Approved%20Tree%20List.pdf"},{"country":"US","region":"TX","locality":"Houston","status":"recommended","note":"On the City of Houston Planning and Development Department Street Tree List","source_url":"https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/DevelopRegs/StreetTree_files/StreetTree.xlsx"}],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}