Magnolia stellata

This is a fairly perfect specimen of star magnolia, Magnolia stellata, growing in the East Village.

Star magnolia blooms, in general, about 2 weeks or so earlier than saucer magnolia. They are both fabulous spring plants.


Star magnolia, is in that weird category of small tree/large shrub. Too small for a tree, too big for a shrub. I try to sidestep these definitions as often as possible because there is no clear cut answer, though I lean to categorize this as a tree.



Magnolia is one of the oldest genera of flowering plants, indeed Magnoliaphyta is the phylum that includes most angiosperms.


Stellata, as one can guess, means star-like and refers to the somewhat starry, strappy tepals of this flower. Tepals, like bracts, are another evolved versions of plant strucutures that, while not connected to the sexual properties of a flower, are key in attracting the right pollinators and ensuring the plant survives and reproduces.

The Biggest Star Magnolia I've Ever Seen

So, I went to the NYBG's Orchid Show on Saturday, along with what seemed like most of the city. The conservatory was packed to the gills, but the show was lovely and one can't help but be awed by the quantity and variety of orchid species on display.

I'll certainly be posting about those plants in the weeks to come, but this week I'll focus instead on what's happening outdoors.



First up, this specimen, which is undoubtedly the biggest star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) I've ever laid eyes on. Amazing, isn't it? I've posted about Magnolia stellata before and have more than a few posts on the genus Magnolia as well. I don't have much to add today, save that I saw this at the NYBG grounds on the left of the path that leads directly to the conservatory from the cafe building. I was dumbstruck by the size and a little sheepish. I must have walked past this tree dozens of times and never paid much attention to it. Only when I saw it in bloom did I register what it was and how remarkable its size is. Shame on me.



It also made me a liar as far as my current students are concerned. Just last week we were speculating on the lifespan of this species. I guessed that they rarely last more than fifty odd years. However, this seemed to be grouped with some trees that were listed as 75-100 years old, so I would guess this specimen could easily be a septuagenarian!

That Big Magnolia, Scaled....Sort of

As soon as I uploaded the photos I took of yesterday's giant star magnolia, I regretted that I hadn't taken a photo of it with a person or some other way to scale it.

Sure enough, within moments of publishing yesterday's post, I got an email asking how big it really was.




With some irreverence, I've attached a picture of the tree with Shaquille O'Neal photoshopped next to it. The Shaq's about 7' 1". I think he's pasted into this photo at about the right size, making this specimen about 45-60' high. No promises on that estimate though!