North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Magnolia virginiana

Magnolia virginiana L.

sweetbay, northern sweet bay

Synonym(s): Magnolia virginiana var. australis, Magnolia virginiana var. parva
Cultivar(s): Santa Rosa

Image ID: 15570
Image by: Sorrie, Bruce A.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: MAVI2
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Magnolia virginiana
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2018-11-08

CULTIVAR INDEX

Cult_id	Cultivar_name	Action
179	Santa Rosa	View

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: MAGNO
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Magnolia
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Magnolia
GENUS SUMMARY: As treated here, a genus of about 130 species, trees and shrubs, of e. Asia (Himalayas and Sri Lanka to Japan and w. Malaysia) and America (e. North America to West Indies, Central America, and South America); alternate treatments in current use divide Magnolia into as many as 16 genera (of which Magnolia Linnaeus, Houpoea N.H. Xia & C.Y. Wu, Metamagnolia Sima & S.G. Lu, Paramagnolia Sima & S.G. Lu, and Yulania Spach are represented in our flora). Molecular phylogenetics show Magnolia virginiana and M. grandiflora as closely related in a New World primarily subtropical clade, M. macrophylla in a clade with its close relatives, M. fraseri and M. pyramidata together, M. acuminata as basal in a clade that is otherwise Asian (equivalent to subgenus Yulania), and M. tripetala grouped in another clade that is otherwise Asian (Azuma et al. 2001). The sections used follow Figlar & Nooteboom (2004).
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Sima & Lu (2012)=Q; Tobe (1998)=Y; Spongberg (1998)=X; Frodin & Govaerts (1996)=V; Palmarola-Bejerano, Romanov, & Bobrov (2008)=U; Azuma, Thien, & Kawano (1999); Azuma et al. (2001); Figlar & Nooteboom (2004); Nooteboom in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993); Kim et al. (2001); Hunt (1998).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: MAGNOL
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Magnoliaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Magnolia Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 7 genera and 223 species, trees and shrubs, tropical and warm temperate, of e. and se. Asia, and from e. North America south through West Indies and Central America to Brazil.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Nie et al. (2008); Hardin (1972); Hardin & Jones (1989)=Z; Meyer in FNA (1997); Figlar & Nooteboom (2004); Frodin & Govaerts (1996); Nooteboom in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993); Kim et al. (2001).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO:
STEMS:
LEAVES:
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 20-30 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Shrub, Tree

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION: Semi-evergreen

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: Apr-July

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
		x	x	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: White flowers

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x

FRUITING PERIOD: Jul-Oct.

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Bogs/pocosins
NATIVE RANGE: eastern United States

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Sweet-bay is an excellent tree for small gardens. This species produces creamy white, fragrant flowers that last for several weeks. Sweet-bay is typically found in coastal woods, pocosins and savannahs, and tolerates soggy to average soils. The flowers are followed by aggregate cones that produce a number of bright red seeds. Its seeds are eaten by a number of birds including towhees and woodpeckers. Sweet-bay is also a larval host for swallowtails. The genus Magnolia supports up to 21 species of lepidoptera.

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Average, Moist/Wet
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 5
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 9
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE: Butterfly Friendly, Bird Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
62	2013-0010	2013-05-06	65	View
702	1985-0346			View
1866	1986-1647			View
2208	1986-2025			View
2865	1987-0381			View
6571	1996-0201			View
7619	2000-0382	2000-11-29		View
7773	2001-0129	2001-06-27		View
8002	2004-0010	2004-02-19		View
8005	2004-0013	2004-02-19		View
8267	2004-0297	2006-09-01		View

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
65	HORT	2008-08-11	Kunz	View
1252	HORT	2005-07-29	Bryan	View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
81	62	48	Mixon	2013-01-08	View
1403	702	176	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
2959	1866	64	NCBG staff	1984-03-11	View
3820	2208	59	NCBG staff	1967-12-31	View
3821	2208	56	NCBG staff	1986-12-23	View
3822	2208	57	NCBG staff	1986-12-23	View
4765	2865	8	NCBG staff	1983-05-22	View
9278	6571	142	NCBG staff	1996-10-10	View
10787	7619	6	NCBG staff	1978-01-01	View
10977	7773	62	NCBG staff	1978-01-01	View
11247	8002	163	NCBG staff	2003-04-08	View
11248	8002	166	NCBG staff	2003-04-08	View
11251	8005	179	NCBG staff	2003-09-15	View
11539	8267	27	NCBG staff	1986-01-01	View
11540	8267	142	NCBG staff	1986-01-01	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: MAVI2
USDA Common Name: Sweetbay
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, LA, MA, MD, MS, NC, NJ, NY, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Tree, Shrub

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACW				FACW	OBL			FACW

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

2018 Natural Heritage Program List of Rare Plant Species of North Carolina

NHP ID	S RANK	ROUNDED S RANK	G RANK	ROUNDED G RANK	STATE STATUS	FEDERAL STATUS
20706	S5	S5	G5	G5	W6

This information is derived from the 2018 North Carolina Natural Heritage Program List of Rare Plant Species.

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Magnolia virginiana var. virginiana
COMMON NAME: Northern Sweet Bay
SYNONYMY: [= F, Y; < M. virginiana - C, FNA, G, GW, K, Pa, Q, RAB, S, V, Va, W, X, Z; = M. virginiana ssp. virginiana - U; {Magnolia s.s.}]
PHENOLOGY: Apr-Jul; Jul-Oct.
HABITAT: Pocosins, bay forests, and swamps in the Coastal Plain, streamhead pocosins, swamps, and sandhill seeps in the Sandhills, bogs and peaty swamps in the Piedmont.
COMMENTS: Se. MA south to w. NC, s. SC, and e. GA.
RANGE MAP: Magnolia virginiana var. virginiana.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Magnoliaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Magnolia Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 7 genera and 223 species, trees and shrubs, tropical and warm temperate, of e. and se. Asia, and from e. North America south through West Indies and Central America to Brazil.
REFERENCE: Nie et al. (2008); Hardin (1972); Hardin & Jones (1989)=Z; Meyer in FNA (1997); Figlar & Nooteboom (2004); Frodin & Govaerts (1996); Nooteboom in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993); Kim et al. (2001).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Magnolia L. (Magnolia)
SUMMARY: As treated here, a genus of about 130 species, trees and shrubs, of e. Asia (Himalayas and Sri Lanka to Japan and w. Malaysia) and America (e. North America to West Indies, Central America, and South America); alternate treatments in current use divide Magnolia into as many as 16 genera (of which Magnolia Linnaeus, Houpoea N.H. Xia & C.Y. Wu, Metamagnolia Sima & S.G. Lu, Paramagnolia Sima & S.G. Lu, and Yulania Spach are represented in our flora). Molecular phylogenetics show Magnolia virginiana and M. grandiflora as closely related in a New World primarily subtropical clade, M. macrophylla in a clade with its close relatives, M. fraseri and M. pyramidata together, M. acuminata as basal in a clade that is otherwise Asian (equivalent to subgenus Yulania), and M. tripetala grouped in another clade that is otherwise Asian (Azuma et al. 2001). The sections used follow Figlar & Nooteboom (2004).
REFERENCE: Sima & Lu (2012)=Q; Tobe (1998)=Y; Spongberg (1998)=X; Frodin & Govaerts (1996)=V; Palmarola-Bejerano, Romanov, & Bobrov (2008)=U; Azuma, Thien, & Kawano (1999); Azuma et al. (2001); Figlar & Nooteboom (2004); Nooteboom in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993); Kim et al. (2001); Hunt (1998).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Magnolia virginiana in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Magnolia virginiana in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Magnolia virginiana in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Magnolia virginiana in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Magnolia virginiana in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Magnolia virginiana

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 15570 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 15570 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 8571 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 15571 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)