Magnolia macclurei (Michelia)

[Eric in Orlando]

Our Magnolia macclurei is now flowering for the first time. It is an evergreen tree formerly known as Michelia macclurei and is native to southern China and northern Vietnam. The flowers have a nice sweet scent. The large leaves are dark green and glossy.

[Kailua_Krish]

Eric, do you know of anyone who is selling these rarer Magnolia species in Florida?

-Krishna

[Eric in Orlando]

The only place I am familiar with would be Tallahassee Nursery in Tallahassee.

[Kailua_Krish]

Thanks Eric, I could shoot myself for not learning this earlier, I was in Tallahassee a week ago

-Krishna

[daxin]

The flowers are so beautiful. How is the fragrance compared with Magnolia grandiflora? I read in Chinese literature that this species can grow to over 100' high (35m). It will be way too big for most residential gardens. What other rare Magnolias are grown at Leu Gardens? Do you have a blooming Magnolia odoratissima?

Here locally in Palo Alto, California, our unusually warm and dry spring has been very helpful in bring out the best of a row of Magnolia doltsopa.

[Eric in Orlando]

We have been acquiring a Magnoliaceae collection; we have quite a few cultivars of M. grandiflora, some other hardy mags, a collection of evergreen species that were formerlu Manglietia, Michelia, Parakmeria, etc. and some tropical species.

No M. odoratissima yet.

[Kailua_Krish]

So I just got a small one of these. Can you tell me a little bit about the care for it and its growth rate? Also a bit about the location it is planted in? I'm not finding a ton of info on the internet about it.

-Krishna

[Eric in Orlando]

Ours is growing in moist acidic soil and bright filtered light but should grow in full sun just fine.

[Dave-Vero]

I worry that Magnolia grandiflora cultivars may in some cases be inferior to plants grown from local wild seed. I keep seeing unhappy-looking magnolias in places where you'd think the trees would thrive.

Of course the wild trees can grow quite tall. Some of the more memorable cultivated specimens I've seen have been in gardens in Japan. A major garden in Tokyo has a huge tree that's been carefully thinned because it's in a prime spot by the lake. I've also seen quite a few squeezed into tiny yards. There should be a market for dwarf cultivars.

Anyway, the Asian collection is cool.

[Kailua_Krish]

Ours is growing in moist acidic soil and bright filtered light but should grow in full sun just fine.

Thanks! Do you remember when and at what size it was planted at?

-Krishna

[Eric in Orlando]

It was planted Oct. 2005, from a 3 gal. pot, about 2-3ft tall.

[mppalms]

Daxin,

Nice shot of the Oregon Expressway M. doltsopa trees. I'm seeing that species all over the bay area now, and it seems to really be doing well. It always looks ragged in late spring but seems good most of the year.

Jason

[Eric in Orlando]

M. doltsopa is another one I want to try here.

Those daxin posted are nice !

[Kailua_Krish]

M. doltsopa is another one I want to try here.

Those daxin posted are nice !

I saw that Monrovia carries Magnolia doltsopa 'Silver Cloud' and was tempted to see if a local nursery could get it, however I havent been able to find a single report of it doing well in the southeast US and with them being as expenisive as they are I am hesitant.

-Krishna

[Eric in Orlando]

Good to see Monrovia is growing it. They used to grow straight M. doltsopa. We will have to get a couple to try here.

[mushrooms]

Hi Eric. I got a couple of questions I hope you don't mind answering.

Is this species mainly a spring bloomer? (Like M. figo and D. doltsopa)

And it is described as being highly fragrant. Is it more fragrant than M. x alba? Or just about the same?

The one I have is still small but the leaves are a lighter green. Somewhat like the color of M. virginiana 'Moonglow.'

Thanks for posting this.

Edited March 30, 2011 by mushrooms

[Eric in Orlando]

Hi Eric. I got a couple of questions I hope you don't mind answering.

Is this species mainly a spring bloomer? (Like M. figo and D. doltsopa)

And it is described as being highly fragrant. Is it more fragrant than M. x alba? Or just about the same?

The one I have is still small but the leaves are a lighter green. Somewhat like the color of M. virginiana 'Moonglow.'

Thanks for posting this.

From what I have read it will be a late winter/early spring bloomer here.

Ours was very nicely fragrant but only up close to the tree. Its supposed to be very fragrant. Since ours is young and this was the first time it flowered, maybe the fragrance gets stronger with age.

Definitely not more fragrant than M. x alba ! I can't imagine any being much more frangrant than M. x alba or M. champaca !!!

[Eric in Orlando]

M. doltsopa is another one I want to try here.

Those daxin posted are nice !

I saw that Monrovia carries Magnolia doltsopa 'Silver Cloud' and was tempted to see if a local nursery could get it, however I havent been able to find a single report of it doing well in the southeast US and with them being as expenisive as they are I am hesitant.

-Krishna

And found a M. doltsopa 'Silver Cloud' from Monrovia at a local garden center. Bought one and just planted it a couple weeks ago.

[Kailua_Krish]

M. doltsopa is another one I want to try here.

Those daxin posted are nice !

I saw that Monrovia carries Magnolia doltsopa 'Silver Cloud' and was tempted to see if a local nursery could get it, however I havent been able to find a single report of it doing well in the southeast US and with them being as expenisive as they are I am hesitant.

-Krishna

And found a M. doltsopa 'Silver Cloud' from Monrovia at a local garden center. Bought one and just planted it a couple weeks ago.

Be sure to let us know how it does! If it does well I would like to look for one for my garden.

-Krishna

[mushrooms]

From what I have read it will be a late winter/early spring bloomer here.

Ours was very nicely fragrant but only up close to the tree. Its supposed to be very fragrant. Since ours is young and this was the first time it flowered, maybe the fragrance gets stronger with age.

Definitely not more fragrant than M. x alba ! I can't imagine any being much more frangrant than M. x alba or M. champaca !!!

That is somewhat disappointing to hear for me since I was expecting it to beat M. x alba. I hope it does get stronger as the tree matures for you. I'm sure you might have seen the quote below before. I wonder if Mr. McClure ever got a chance to smell M. x alba when he wrote that. Or even if M. x alba was introduced to China then...

Magnolia macclurei [Michelia macclurei] shows great promise for tropical and subtropical horticulture. It has broad, handsome evergreen leaves and attractive white flowers that are intensely fragrant. When Floyd McClure discovered this species on a mountainside in Guangdong Province (near Canton or Guangzhou) in 1925, he remarked in his notebook, "The fragrance of the flowers is the most intoxicating I ever breathed.

BTW, I know of one M. champaca that produced nearly scentless flowers. The owner chopped it down because it was so large and the fact that the flowers were so weak in scent. Heh. Apparently plants grown from seed can have variability in the scent of the flowers.

Edited April 2, 2011 by mushrooms

[Kailua_Krish]

How has the one at Leu been doing? Any updated photos of it flowering? DId it get any more fragrant? Mine has been growing quite rapidly. Ive added several more evergreen magnolias (M. veluntina, M. maudiae, M. insignis, and M. laevifolia) since this one since I was so happy with it!

-Krishna

[Brian Bruning]

I have a 5' tall 5 gal for sale. It'll grow too big for my garden. It is very healthy with a strong leader.

[JasonD]

Magnolia doltsopa 'Silver Cloud' performs much less well than seedling M. doltsopa here in the SF Bay Area. Suncrest Nursery in Watsonville, California, recently offered their crop of seedling 1-gallons and 5-gallons and sold out within a month or two to larger tree growers. It's great news, because Silver Cloud remains stunted by the imperfect graft with M. grandiflora, and the seedlings can bloom within seven years of planting out.

The fragrance carries very well on chilly winter and spring air here in San Francisco, better than M. X alba, though in warm weather X alba's the winner.

[Kailua_Krish]

Updates on everyone's plants?

M maccleuri: Healthy, rapid grower, approx 10 ft tall now, growth similar to Eric's, no blooms

M velutuna/lanuginosa: healthy, approx 6 ft, bushy growth habit (3 growth leaders), very interesting leaves, no blooms

M maudiae: healthy, strong grower, at 5 ft, single leader, no blooms, blue-ish leaves

M insignis: so-so, weak grower, only 1 ft tall, leaves are brighter green, no blooms

M Tamaulipiana: healthy, slow grower, 2 ft tall, robust grandiflora like leaves, no blooms

All except for the Macleurei are approx 2 years from small rooted cuttings.

[mushrooms]

Really late update here but my Magnolia macclurei turned out to be Magnolia maudiae. It took me quite a while to figure out why mine's was so different from the pictures Eric posted. What other species in the Michelia section has blue green leaves? Seems like this mix up occurred at the wholesaler level or the propagator.

Magnolia macclurei seems to be impossible to find in California. What a shame, looks like it would make for a great sidewalk tree.

Edited July 5, 2015 by mushrooms