MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 39 
easily transplanted as the ordinary woody plants, it being 
necessary to dig them with a ball of earth adhering to their 
roots and to move them in the spring just before the break- 
ing open of the leaf buds; as they have not been greatly ex- 
ploited by nurserymen they are not generally included in 
planting lists; magnolias were formerly imported in large 
quantities from Europe, but lately the National Quarantine 
Act, which forbids the importation of plants with earth ad- 
hering to their roots, has made this impossible; and as these 
plants can be grown considerably cheaper in Europe than in 
America, the price has increased and caused a scarcity of 
material. 
There are 20 species of magnolias, of which 6 are native 
to eastern and southern North America, 2 to Mexico, and 
12 to southern Asia. There is also a number of varieties. 
The following species are perfectly hardy in this section of 
the country: 
Magnolia virginiana (sweet bay).—The natural range of 
this species is rather remarkable, as it is found from Massa- 
chusetts to Florida and westward to Arkansas and Texas. In 
the most favorable location of its range it reaches a height 
of 50 to 75 feet, but elsewhere it is often a shrub of many 
stems. Under cultivation in St. Louis its maximum height is 
about 30 feet. As the many stems make it broad and shrubby, 
an abundance of space is needed for its maximum develop- 
ment, the species being valuable for individual specimens or 
for the edge of plantations. 
This magnolia is literally covered with fragrant white cup- 
shaped flowers 2-3 inches in diameter, which bloom in late 
April or May and occasionally during the summer. The leaves 
are oval, 3-5 inches long, leathery in texture, shining green 
above, paler beneath. In the fall the shiny red seeds hung 
on slender threads from the cones are very attractive. The 
preferred habitat is a rich moist soil on river banks and 
borders of swamps, but the tree grows well in rich upland 
soil also. 
Magnolia virginiana var. longifolia—This variety has lance- 
shaped leaves and continues blooming longer than the type. 
