18 MAGNOLIA AURICULATA. 
the fruit of the other species, by a little inferiority of size, and by > .small appen- 
dage which terminates the carpels. Each carpel contains twr seeds, which, 
when ripe, spring from their cells, and are suspended, for a time, by a white, 
silky thread. 
Varieties. A tree nearly allied to this species was discovered by John Bar- 
tram, in the maritime parts of Georgia, particularly on the banks of the Alta- 
maha, and was subsequently found by Mr. John Le Conte, in the western parts 
of Carolina and Georgia. It so closely resembles the Magnolia auriculata, except 
in size, which is much less, that it is regarded by most botanists as only a vari- 
ety. It is usually described under the name of Magnolia pyramidata. The 
tree, according to Bartram, grows straight and erect, thirty feet or more in 
height, and of a sharp, conical form, much resembling the Magnolia acuminata 
in figure. It was first introduced into England in 1818, by John Lyon, and the 
original tree still exists in the nursery of Messrs. Loddiges. It is extremely diffi- 
cult to propagate, which is done by inarching on the Magnolia auriculata. 
Geography and History. The Magnolia auriculata, in its natural habitat, 
appears to be chiefly confined to a particular part of the Alleghanies. According 
to Michaux, it is nowhere found so abundant as on the steepest parts of the 
lofty mountains of North Carolina, known by the name of the Great Father, and 
Black Iron Mountains. It is sometimes found, however, on the steep banks of 
the rivers which rise in the Alleghanies, and on one side, roll their waters into 
the Atlantic, and on the other, to meet the Ohio. 
This tree was discovered by John Bartram, from whom it was first received 
in England by Messrs. Loddiges, in 1786, and still exists in their nursery at 
Hackney. It was, probably, soon afterwards sent to France ; because we find 
Madame Lemonnier, the widow of Michaux's patron and friend, describing a tree 
of this species, in her garden, in 1800, which was nine feet high, and had 
already flowered. 
There is a Magnolia auriculata in the Bartram botanic garden, at Kingsessing. 
on the Schuylkill, fifty feet in height, with a trunk four feet in circumference. 
In the garden of Mr. D. Landreth, of Philadelphia, there is also another tree of this 
species, twenty-five years planted, thirty feet in height, with a trunk a foot in 
diameter. 
The largest Magnolia auriculata in England is at White Knight's, which has 
been planted about forty years, and is more than thirty feet in height. There 
are several in the gardens about Paris, and some at Sceaux, which have attained 
a height of more than twenty feet. 
Soil and Situation. The soil of the Alpine regions, of which this species is a 
native, is brown, deep, and of an excellent quality. The atmosphere in these 
situations, is continually charged with moisture, from the number of torrents 
which rush down from their summits. When cultivated, the soil should be free 
and deep, and the situation low, sheltered, and moist, rather than dry. 
Propagation and Culture. As seeds are rather difficult to procure, the com- 
mon mode of propagation is by layers, or by inarching on the Magnolia acumi- 
nata, which requires two years before the plant can be separated from the parent 
shoot. From the account given by Michaux, the Magnolia auriculata is found 
to multiply so fast from seeds, that, in its native forests, a thousand plants might 
be collected in a single day. Hence, the propagation of this species from seeds 
would be far preferable to any other mode. In England, annual shoots of young 
plants are from one to two feet or more, in length; and the height which the tree 
usually attains in ten years is from ten to fifteen feet. 
Properties and Uses. The wood of the Magnolia auriculata is soft, spongy, 
and very light, and when dry, weighs only twenty-four pounds to a cubic foot. 
The bark has an agreeable, aromatic odour, and an infusion of it in some spirit- 
uous liquor, is employed as an excellent sudorific in rheumatic affections. 
