Editing Magnolia macrophylla

{{Short description|Species of tree}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=June 2017}}
{{Speciesbox
 | name              = Bigleaf magnolia
 | image             = MagnoliaMacrophylla.jpg 
 | status            = LC
 | status_system     = IUCN3.1
 | status_ref        = <ref name="iucn status 20 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Global Tree Specialist Group |date=2014 |title=''Magnolia macrophylla'' |volume=2014 |page=e.T62595A3116514 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T62595A3116514.en |access-date=20 November 2021}}</ref>
 | genus             = Magnolia
 | display_parents   = 2
 | parent            = Magnolia sect. Macrophylla
 | species           = macrophylla
 | authority         = [[André Michaux|Michx.]]
 | range_map         = Magnolia macrophylla range map.jpg
 | range_map_caption = Natural range
}}

'''''Magnolia macrophylla''''', the '''bigleaf magnolia''', is a [[deciduous]] [[magnolia]] native to the southeastern [[United States]] and eastern [[Mexico]]. This species boasts the largest simple [[leaf]] and single [[flower]] of any native plant in North America.

==Classification==
[[Image:M.macrophylla var. ashei 200706.jpg|thumb|left|''M. macrophylla'' var. ''ashei'' flower in female phase.]]
''Magnolia macrophylla'' has three subspecies; some botanists treat these plants as three separate [[species]]:

*''Magnolia macrophylla'' subsp. ''macrophylla''. '''Bigleaf magnolia'''. Southeastern United States. Secure. Tree to 65-foot; leaves 20-35&nbsp;inch long, fruit 1.5–4&nbsp;inch long with more than 50 carpels.
*''Magnolia macrophylla'' subsp. ''ashei'' (Wetherby) Spongberg. '''Ashe magnolia'''. Northwest [[Florida]]. Shrub or small tree to 40-foot; leaves 10–23&nbsp;inch long, fruit 1.5–2.3&nbsp;inch long with less than 50 carpels. Considered by some botanists to be a distinct species, ''Magnolia ashei.''
*''Magnolia macrophylla'' subsp. ''dealbata'' (Zuccarini) J. D. Tobe. '''Mexican bigleaf magnolia''', '''Cloudforest magnolia,''' or '''''eloxochitl.'''''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pattison |first=Graham |date=18 October 2022 |title=Magnolia Dealbata |url=https://magnoliasociety.org/resources/Journal/Images/1973-1985_VOL_09-21/VOLUME%2021%20No.%202_19-20_MAGNOLIA%20DEALBATA_GRAHAM%20PATTISON.pdf |website=Magnolia Society}}</ref> Mexico ([[Hidalgo (state)|Hidalgo]] to [[Oaxaca]] and [[Veracruz]], in [[cloud forest]]s). Tree to 65-foot; leaves 11–24&nbsp;inch long, fruit 3–6&nbsp;inch long with more than 70 carpels. Considered by some botanists to be a distinct species, ''[[Magnolia dealbata]].''

==Description==
The bigleaf magnolia is a medium-sized understory [[tree]] 50–65 feet tall. This species is distinguished from other magnolias by the large [[leaf]] size, 10–32&nbsp;inch long and 4–35&nbsp;inch broad. The largest leaf to be reported by a credible source is 3&nbsp;ft 8 in (110 centimeters) in length.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0187-71512015000300003|title=''Magnolia rzedowskiana'' (Magnoliaceae), una especie nueva de la sección Macrophylla de la parte central de la sierra Madre Oriental, México|trans-title=''Magnolia rzedowskiana'' (Magnoliaceae), a new species of section Macrophylla from the central Sierra Madre Oriental, Mexico|last=Velasquez-Garcia|first=Jose Antonio|display-authors=etal|date=July 2015|access-date=July 26, 2018|language=es}}</ref><ref>Memim Encyclopedia (see below) loc. cit.</ref> in addition to a {{convert|6|in|cm|abbr=off|sp=us|spell=in}} petiole. The leaf's width can be up to {{convert|18|in|cm|abbr=off|sp=us|spell=in}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/magnolia-macrophylla|title=O.S.U. Landscape Plants - Magnolia macrophylla|last=Breen|first=Patrick|access-date=February 1, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{ cite web|url=http://memim.com/magnolia-macrophylla.html|title= Memim Encyclopedia - Magnolia macrophylla|date=2015|access-date=July 1, 2015}}</ref>  The tree's branches often bend under the weight of this heavy foliage. The flowers are typically six or nine-petaled (two or three whorls of three petals each, the larger ones with a dime-sized purple blotch at the base). The flower has as many as 580 [[stamens]]<ref>Velasquez-Garcia loc. cit.</ref> and 
is typically about {{convert|16|in|cm|abbr=off|sp=us|spell=in}} wide, although there have been specimens as large as {{convert|21.5|in|cm|abbr=off|sp=us}} in width.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Raynel|first=Charles E.|date=May 1938|title=Big Leaf Magnolia|journal=American Forests|volume=44|issue=5|page=204 Photo with caption}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=<not given>|date=March 1928|title=<not recorded>|journal=Nature Magazine|volume=11|issue=3|page=184 photo with caption}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Coker|first1=Dr. William C.|last2=Totten|first2=Dr. Henry R.|date=1945|edition=Third|title=Trees of the Southeastern States|location=Chapel Hill, N.C.|publisher= Univ. N. Carolina Press|page=186}}</ref><ref>{{ cite web | url= https://www.namethatplant.net/article_magnolia.shtml | last= <!-- anonymous --> | title= Name That Plant Net - South Carolina's Native Magnolias |  date= <!-- not recorded --> | access-date= February 5, 2022}}</ref>  It is the largest temperate (non-tropical) flower in the world. This, like all Magnolias, is beetle pollinated. The fruit is a cone-like cluster of achenes. The mature seeds, each covered with an orange [[aril]], hang down from the cone on silk-like threads. making themselves readily available to passing birds.

===Bee Mortality===
At the Arnold Arboretum, dead bees have been observed inside Bigleaf magnolia flowers. However the bees in cited article are honeybees which are not native to North America. <ref>{{cite magazine |title=Seeing Life—Re-engaging with nature |author=William Friedman |date=March 2021 |magazine=[[Harvard Magazine]] |url=https://harvardmagazine.com/2021/03/features-seeing-life-arnold-arboretum |access-date=February 25, 2021}}</ref>

==Distribution and habitat==
Bigleaf magnolia is found in rich [[Mesic habitat|mesic]] woods; any disturbance that lets more light reach the ground is beneficial to the establishment of bigleaf magnolia, but despite its relatively fast growth-rate when stimulated by more light, other understory and canopy trees/seedlings are usually able to outgrow and out-compete it. This suits the plant just fine as it is tolerant of low light levels; it does not need full sun to survive once established (however, it does not tolerate full shade). Natural regeneration is quite limited due to the scarcity of mature, seed-bearing plants and the fact that this tree's population mostly consists of widely scattered individuals. In addition, this species is plagued by poor seed set (most likely from limiting factors mentioned above) and low seed [[:wikt:viable|viability]], a trait shared by its cousin and frequent associate in the wild in [[Appalachia]], the ''[[Magnolia fraseri|Fraser magnolia]].''

The Ashe magnolia is a rare [[shrub]], exceptionally a small tree, that is found only along the bluffs and ravines adjacent to the [[Apalachicola River]] in [[Florida]], along with several other rare plants unique to the area, such as [[Taxus floridana|Florida Yew]] and [[Torreya taxifolia|Florida torreya]]. It resembles the typical subsp. ''macrophylla'', but has shorter, broader leaves, smaller [[flower]]s, and longer [[fruit]]s. The {{convert|6|to|8|in|mm|adj=mid|-diameter}} flowers bloom in late spring, and are white with rose-purple blotches on the inner tepals. The fruit is eaten by wildlife, but because of the plant's scarceness, it does not form a significant portion of any creature's [[diet (nutrition)|diet]].

In the southeastern United States, especially [[Alabama]] and surrounding areas, ''Magnolia macrophylla'' is sometimes called the "cowcumber magnolia," in contrast with the much smaller-leaved [[Magnolia acuminata|cucumber-tree magnolia]], ''M. acuminata.''

==Threats==
Collection, both legal and illegal, may have an adverse impact on this tree's population due to low [[population density]], and high [[Collecting|collection]] pressure can [[Local extinction|extirpate]] this species locally. Bigleaf magnolia is listed as [[threatened]] in [[North Carolina]] and [[endangered]] in [[Arkansas]] and [[Ohio]]. The [[Florida Department of Agriculture]] lists the Ashe magnolia as [[endangered]], due to its small population and restricted range. The Mexican bigleaf magnolia is also endangered, by loss of habitat.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

==Cultivation==
Bigleaf magnolia is often short-lived under cultivation unless its rather demanding requirements are met. This tree likes loose, undisturbed rich mesic soil (or mulch and compost substitutes) in full sun or part shade with moist, well-drained soil and a low pH.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Trees for the South|last=Hastings|first=Don|publisher=Longstreet Press|year=2001|isbn=1-56352-596-8|location=Atlanta, Georgia|pages=109}}</ref> This tree will likely succeed in sites that closely mimic its natural habitat and where it is protected from strong wind that can tatter its large foliage. It can be grown farther north than its southerly range suggests, but needs watering during extended dry periods. This plant is generally problem-free.

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="230" heights="200" mode="packed">
File:Bigleaf Magnolia Magnolia macrophylla Leaf 2500px.jpg|A single large leaf
File:Bigleaf Magnolia Magnolia macrophylla Sapling 1550px.jpg|A sapling
File:Magnolia macrophylla bigleaf magnolia.JPG|Naturalized tree
File:Magnolia macrophyla ssp. ashei flower.jpg|''Magnolia macrophylla'' ssp. ''ashei'' open flower
File:Magnolia macrophyla ssp. ashei fruit.jpg|''Magnolia macrophylla'' ssp. ''ashei'' mature fruit
File:Magnolia macrophylla ssp. ashei.jpg|''Magnolia macrophylla'' ssp. ''ashei'' flower detail
File:Magnolia macrophylla ssp. macrophylla flower.jpg|''Magnolia macrophylla'' ssp. ''macrophylla'' open flower
File:Magnolia macrophylla ssp. macrophylla fruit.jpg|''Magnolia macrophylla'' ssp. ''macrophylla'' mature fruit
File:Magnolia macrophylla ssp. macrophylla.jpg|''Magnolia macrophylla'' ssp. ''macrophylla'' bud break
File:Magnolia macrophylla tree AA.jpg|''Magnolia macrophylla'' ssp. ''macrophylla'' 1989 accession (#960-89*A), Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
File:Magnolia macrophylla ssp. macrophylla leaves.jpg|''Magnolia macrophylla'' ssp. ''macrophylla'' leaves in fall
File:MagnoliamacrophyllaNCS.jpg|Large ''M. macrophylla'' ssp. ''macrophylla'' specimen growing on [[North Carolina State University|NCSU]] campus.
File:BigLeafMagnoliaFruitUnripe.jpg|An unripe fruit. 
File:BigleafMagnoliaHighline.jpg|A northerly specimen located on NYC's [[High Line|Highline]]. 
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Magnolia macrophylla}}
*[https://arboretum.harvard.edu/plants/image-search/?keyword=Magnolia+macrophylla&submit=Search ''Magnolia macrophylla'' images at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University Plant Image Database]
*Hetman, Jon. [https://arboretum.harvard.edu/stories/hunnewell-building-spring-magnolia-1986/ "Magnolia macrophylla".] Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University website, 13 May 2019. Accessed 20 April 2020.
*Friedman, William (Ned).[https://arboretum.harvard.edu/stories/killer-magnolias/ "Killer magnolias".]''Posts from the Collections,'' Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University website, 20 July 2019. Accessed 20 April 2020.
*[http://www.michaux.org/magnolia.htm An ecological study of Magnolia macrophylla in Gaston County, NC]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080604141716/http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/frame/mama2.htm ''Magnolia macrophylla'' images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927143223/http://www.fnai.org/FieldGuide/pdf/Magnolia_ashei.PDF Field Guide to the Rare Plants and Animals of Florida Online: Magnolia ashei]
*[http://www.treetrail.net/magnolia.html Magnolia macrophylla Distribution Map]
*[http://www.plantmaps.com/nrm/magnolia-macrophylla-bigleaf-magnolia-native-range-map.php Interactive Distribution Map of ''Magnolia macrophylla'']
*[http://www.ents-bbs.org/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=2133]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1093540}}

[[Category:Magnolia|macrophylla]]
[[Category:Endangered flora of the United States]]
[[Category:Trees of Northern America]]
[[Category:Garden plants of North America]]
[[Category:Ornamental trees]]