PlantFiles: Cucumber Magnolia
Magnolia acuminata

Rather large impressive forest tree with yellow spring flowers and huge leaves. These trees get quite tall. I have not grown this species but about a dozen or so mature specimens occure near a bottomland stream on my land. They would probably make a striking specimen tree.

I bought this tree as a 1 ft. seedling. Two years in a row it has started growing and doing well, then about mid-summer the leaves have turned brown and dropped. I suspect the tree is burning in too much afternoon sun (zone 7b), so am transplanting it to a spot that will be shaded in the afternoon. I would appreciate any comments from anyone else who has this tree.

I bought this tree in July it was loaded with buds and about 4.5 feet tall. Planted in full sun. A couple weeks later the flowers opened, there must have been at least 50 and loaded with bumble bees and butterflies. The flowering lasted quite a while. There seems to be a few green balls on it now, I guess these are the cucumbers! I watered very heavily for about 2 weeks, and then every othere day. The tree still looks good, the bark has a soft look to it like deer antlers.

Deciduous tree, 50-80 ft, (15-24 m), upright branches, pyramidal. Leaves alternate, simple, 10-25 cm long, dark green above, soft pubescent and light green below. Buds greenish to white, pubescent, covered (as with all magnolias) by a single keeled scale. Flowers have greenish yellow petals (5-7.5 cm long), borne solitary, not very showy. Fruit an aggregate of pinkish-red follicles, 5-7.5 long, briefly persisting in fall (may look like a small cucumber).