This is as close as I'm going to get this year to seeing a flower on these Magnolia macrophylla in what I think is part of the Carolinian forest area of the north garden. At least the leaves are interesting. Douglas Justice sent us to look at this Magnolia chevalieri on Decaisne above Lower Asian Way. In fact, we'd seen the magnolia earlier, though not remembered the name, but we hadn't noticed the Cathaya argyrophylla next to it, which was pretty easy to miss when you're looking up at a magnolia flower. Nor had we noticed the Liquidambar acalycina across from the magnolia. Douglas supplied the ID, as I'd thought it was L. formosana. Here are drawings of the two species from Tropicos. Liquidambar formosana and Liquidambar acalycina We did notice that the Heptacodium next to the magnolia has flower buds now, so that's on our list (well, it was already on our list, but now we can remember where to find it). The other magnolia we found was this M. insignis.
I just add about magnolias, that there are 4 different sp. in bloom now, we didn't mention and didn't take pictures of M. grandiflora, it is around the city in bloom now. But anyway so amazing to see so many different magnolias in bloom at the end of July!Three of them evergreen and fragrant, one is deciduous with huge leaves.
Sweetbay magnolia flowers in July also. As does Magnola delavayi. Moving Manglietia, Michelia and Parakmeria into Magnolia of course expanded the range by quite a bit.
