222 



THE BOOK OF FORESTRY 



MAGNOLIAS 



With the possible exception of the flowering dogwood 

 there is no more beautiful tree native to this country 

 than the flowering magnolias. In addition some of them 

 furnish excellent lumber. 



SWEET BAY 



Magnolia glauca 



BARK 



Branchlets bright green at first, turn- 

 ing reddish brown to gray the second 

 summer. Bark on mature trees 

 thin and gray. 



LEAVES 



Oblong, 4"-6" in length, bright lus- 

 trous green. In the South they re- 

 main with little change until the fol- 

 lowing spring. 



FRUIT 



A fleshy cone, 2" long, dark red in 

 color. 



RANGE 



Massachusetts south to Florida, west 

 Texas. 



Flowers large (two inches to three inches), conspicu- 

 ous, continue to open for several weeks in the spring. 

 There are in all seven magnolias in the United States of 

 which the cucumber tree (Magnolia acuminata) and the 

 sweet magnolia of the Southern melodies (Magnolia 

 fostida) are the most important. 



