MAGNOLIA. 227 



summer ; but here it seldom begins to flower till the 

 middle or end of June, and does not remain long in 

 bloom. English summers are not warm enough to bring 

 the fruit to perfection. 



This fine tree is a native of Carolina and Florida, and, 

 in common with many of the trees and plants of that 

 country, is impatient of cold here, and difficult to keep 

 in perfection either abroad or in the green-house. Its 

 beauty would render it one of the greatest ornaments of 

 our plantations. It is most liable to suffer from the 

 early frosts of autumn, the extremities of the young shoots 

 being then tender: this is the most tender of all the 

 species, from the circumstance of its retaining its leaves. 

 Miller says there were a great many young plants in 

 England, which were destroyed by the severe winter of 

 1739-40 : and that he had one himself, which he sup- 

 posed to be dead, a pretty large one ; after midsummer, 

 he cut it down to the root, and was surprised to see it 

 shoot up again the next year. 



The Swamp Magnolia, Magnolia glauca, grows with 

 a slender stem, about fifteen or sixteen feet high ; the 

 leaves resemble those of the bay, but that they are 

 hoary on the under side. The flowers are composed of 

 six concave petals, white and sweet-scented ; they blow 

 in May and June. In North America, there is a suc- 

 cession of flowers for two months or more ; but in this 

 country, there are seldom more than twelve or fourteen 

 on a tree, and those are of short duration. The fruit is 

 of a conical shape, something more than an inch long, 

 and three quarters of an inch in diameter ; it is first 

 green, then red, and when ripe, of a brown colour. 



This tree sheds its leaves early in November : the young 

 trees will sometimes retain the leaves till new ones form ; 



Q2 



