Magnolia time

Discussion in 'Talk about UBC Botanical Garden' started by wcutler, Apr 2, 2014.

  1. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    I don't want to wait till I've reviewed all my photos from today to post this, because the magnolias are so perfect RIGHT NOW, and if you live anywhere near here, you might very soon want to join the folks out here gawking at them. There is a clear view from the parking area of the one labelled Magnolia sprengeri 'Eric Savill', now that the Magnolia sargentiana Var. robusta (is that the right name?) is gone. The colour seems better than ever this year. Oh, wait, I've said that every year. Last photo also shows blossoms from the Magnolia sargentiana behind the 'Eric Savill'.
    20140401_UBCBG_MagnoliaSprengeriEricSavill_Cutler_P1020474.jpg 20140401_UBCBG_MagnoliaSprengeriEricSavill_Cutler_P1020258.jpg 20140401_UBCBG_MagnoliaSprengeriEricSavill_Cutler_P1020271.jpg

    This Magnolia cylindrica is another on display before you get into the garden.
    20140401_UBCBG_MagnoliaCylindrica_Cutler_P1020250.jpg 20140401_UBCBG_MagnoliaCylindrica_Cutler_P1020254.jpg
     
  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    "Var. robusta" should be var. robusta. The white one looks like 'Pegasus', which was grown for years as M. cylindrica but eventually became recognized as a hybrid.
     
  3. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    I thought Douglas Justice told me the opposite yesterday - that it had a label 'Pegasus' (which I did not find), but is M. cylindrica. It was a very brief conversation across the entrance plaza. Maybe I got it backwards?

    Thanks for the "var." correction - I wondered about that "V" but I copied something I had written before.
     
  4. Douglas Justice

    Douglas Justice Well-Known Member UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society 10 Years

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    These plants came to us from North Carolina State University Arboretum (now the J.C. Raulston Arboretum) in 1989. They were originally labelled Magnolia amoena. It was then determined that they were not M. amoena, but 'Pegasus'; however, subsesquent to that, we realized that our plants are not like the actual 'Pegasus', which is reputed to be a hybrid of M. denudata and M. cylindrica.

    Recently I asked Dick Figlar (noted magnolia authority) to weigh in. He said:

    This plant certainly looks like "ordinary" M. cylindrica based on the sepaloid tepals and in a more subtle way by the shape of the flowers. Magnolia 'Pegasus' on the other hand, usually has 9 "normal" sized tepals (with one or more of the outer tepals occasionally being variably smaller or nearly sepaloid-like.

    Garden IDs of both of these taxa (especially 'Pegasus') are often confused in collections, but I believe you have the real cylindrica here. At least we cannot prove that it is not M. cylindrica.

    The only other taxon that could be sometimes be confused with M. cylindrica is M. biondii, but biondii blooms much earlier in the season (1 to 4 weeks earlier) than M. cylindrica, and has greenish colored stems (or mottled green) toward the distal ends of the twigs. Magnolia cylindrica has brownish twigs.

    The Magnolia Pegasus Group is probably a sort of mixed bag of M.cylindrica x M. denudata crosses and back-crosses, thus they might be more variable in their morphology. But I've never seen one which consistently bears the 3 sepaloid tepals. Perhaps the Raulston simply got the morphology difference "backwards." That can happen sometimes.​

     
  5. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Douglas mentioned Magnolia amoena. There is a small one of that next to the boardwalk.
     

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  6. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    This tree, labelled Magnolia cylindrica, is at peak bloom three weeks later than the one I first posted. It's in the middle of the Asian Garden, not on its own outside the garden.
     

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  7. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    That looks generally more like what I would expect true examples of the species to look like. Possibly the difference in flowering times is significant, the previous example coming on sooner due to partial M. denudata parentage. But hybrids should consist of varying combinations of pertinent morphological characters (and flowering behavior) such as those discussed above; I am not familiar with which ones are diagnostically significant in this case.
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2014

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