Greetings -- We have this tree on our street, and all the kids are grabbing the "red beans" and playing with them. The "beans" are soft and fleshy, and bright red, appearing in a cluster that is initially fuzzy... *probably* harmless, but I wanted to know for sure. Can anyone ID this for us? Attached are 3 photos... [this is my first attempt at posting, so I'll retry if my attachments don't stick] Thanks much, --Williaq
Thank you! So how toxic/poisonous are the seeds? The young children in the neighborhood play with them...
M. grandiflora. One of the most popular ornamental trees. Oily outer coating of seeds not poisonous. In fact, certain magnolias are used medicinally (bark), even eaten (tepals).