Botanical name: Magnolia × soulangeana    Family: Magnoliaceae (Magnolia family)

Saucer Magnolia is probably one of the most popular magnolia. It originated as a hybrid of two Asian magnolias, China's ivory-white Yulan Magnolia (M. denudata) pollinated by Japan's Lily Magnolia (M. liliiflora). It was named after Etienne Soulange-Bodin (1774-1846), a Napoleonic soldier who survived the defeat at Waterloo, & who afterward became director of The Royal Institute of Horticulture near Paris, where he raised his hybrid seedlings. It is a deciduous small tree which grows up to 30 ft tall, with upright and spreading branching, and rounded to irregular habit, with multi-trunked or low main branches. Deciduous leaves are 3-7 inches long, half as wide. Leaves are elliptical with a sharply-pointed tip. Flowers are white, pink, or purple, large, cup-like. The tree blooms in mid- to late April. The flowers are also fragrant. The tree flowers at a young age, and is typically a heavy bloomer. That probably explains its popularity.

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The flower labeled Saucer Magnolia is ...