PlantFiles: Loblolly Bay
Gordonia lasianthus

Well I hope adding this comment doesn't jinx me or my Gordonia, but yes, that's right: I have a mature one here in Birmingham. I planted it about 1995 when it was about 5 ft tall and it's slowly grown to maybe 12 ft. It's one of my favorites; I view it as a survivor in a hostile USDA zone 7b world. :)

I believe that it has done well because of its microclimate: I planted it as a "foundation" tree, next to my house. It has a southerly exposure and is protected from drying winter winds. Believe it or not, I'd call it drought-tolerant: I rarely give it supplemental water. EVEN during our drought of 2007 I watered it by hand (heavily) no more than twice, and once or maybe twice I gave it a good session with a soaker hose. Most "normal" summers I MIGHT hand water it once during the worst run w/o rain.

It always has a heavy flower bud crop all summer long; all it needs is a decent rain, and all the buds open as if on command. This cycle repeats as the rains come and go. I'd love to see how it would look if we ever have a "rainy" summer here.

The experiment continues, as I've just planted another 5 footer, but this time in a more exposed part of my yard. I am hopeful, but we shall, as they say, see...

Picked up one on the side of the road around Orlando about 15 years ago. Didnt think it would survive the bare root trip home to Palm Beach county, but it did . It is now a 20 foot mature tree and it blossoms all summer. Lightly fragerant flowers are there every morning and drop off every afternoon. Since its getting old I decided to try and airlayer a cutting from it. I was sucessful. A great tree.!

The lovely white flowers blooming along the roadsides are a joy. They do well in the home landscape as well. The grooved bark of mature trees adds interest. At almost any month of the year, it is possible to find at least one red leaf. This is a characteristic which will help you to identify this tree. Unlike the other two "bay" trees commonly found in Florida, this one does not have aromatic leaves. MN4

The Loblolly Bay is the official city flower for Jacksonville, Florida -- a nice choice I think. It grows fairly abundantly in wooded areas in NE Florida and can be frequently seen along I-10 between Jacksonville and Tallahasee when it is in bloom.

While this plant may like moist soil, it will not take standing water. It also has a reputation as being difficult to transplant and generally hard to grow. Apart from that, it is a great native tree.