MAGNOLIA FAMILY 



cultivated in China for more than a thousand years 

 and is there considered a symbol of candor and of 

 beauty. 



The Purple-flowered Magnolia was the second im- 

 portation, introduced by Thunberg, who discovered it 

 in Japan and brought it into England in 1790. Rela- 

 tively this is a small shrub with slightly obovate or 

 acuminate leaves and fragrant flowers. The flowers 

 have small yellowish or yellow-green sepals and large 

 acuminate petals which are deep purple on the exterior 

 and cream-white on the interior face. This is Magnolia 

 obovata, also known as ]\Iagnolia purpurea and JMagnolia 

 discolor. Although perfectly hardy it is now seldom 

 seen in gardens, having given way to a race of hybrids 

 of which it is one of the parents. 



One of the best of these hybrids dates from 1826. It 

 sprang from a seed of Magnolia conspicua, in the garden 

 of M. Soulange-Bodin, of Fromont, near Paris, the 

 flowers of which, it is believed, had been accidentally 

 fertilized with the pollen of Magnolia purpurea. The 

 plant is known as Magnolia soulangeana and is almost 

 intermediate between the two parents except in habit, 

 which is arborescent. It is thoroughly hardy and 

 produces fertile seeds. The flowers are white with a 

 dash of purple, and appear a week or ten days later 

 than those of Magnolia eonspicua. There are several 

 other hybrids of these species offered by the trade, 

 of which one of the best is Magnolia lennei, whose 

 flowers are deep crimson without and cream-white 

 within. 



Our gardens were enriched a few years ago by the 

 introduction of the shrubby Magnolia stellata, which 



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