Magnolia macrophylla

Magnolia macrophylla, the bigleaf magnolia, holds a national record: the largest simple leaves and the largest flowers of any tree native to North America. A deciduous magnolia of rich, sheltered woodlands scattered from West Virginia south to Louisiana and Florida, the tree is scarce in the wild and unforgettable in leaf, with blades up to three feet long and a foot wide, deep green above and a soft silvery white beneath that flashes when the wind turns them.

The flowers match the foliage for drama: creamy-white goblets eight to twelve inches across, often marked with purple at the base of the petals, and carried singly at the branch tips in late spring and early summer, sweetly and softly citrus-scented. The name says it plainly, macrophylla meaning large-leaved, and the genus Magnolia honors Pierre Magnol, the seventeenth-century French botanist of Montpellier. Rosy, cone-like fruits follow, ripening to shed red seeds for the birds.

This is a tree for a sheltered spot and a curious gardener, a true conversation piece rather than a street tree, since the enormous leaves tear and tatter in strong wind. Give the bigleaf magnolia rich, moist, well-drained soil and shelter, part shade in the hot South and more sun where summers are cool, and site the tree where the vast leaves and dinner-plate flowers can be admired at close range.

Growing this uncommon native also helps keep a remarkable piece of the American forest in cultivation. Photos courtesy of Alan Cressler and Carolyn Foyen.