MAGNOLIA. 67 



The young branches are of a fine purplish 

 brown, and when each spray, for a hundred 

 feet in height, is holding up its petaled vase, 

 as if to offer incense to the sun that nourishes 

 its fruit, a mass of beauty is composed, that 

 rivals the proudest work of man. 



The fruit of the magnolia is seated in the 

 flower in a manner similar to the strawberry, 

 which afterwards becomes a strobile or cone, 

 composed of many capsules, each of which, 

 when perfect, contains two scarlet seeds. We 

 are not aware that the fruit has ever matured 

 its seed in this country, though we have seen 

 some old plants that have formed strobiles of 

 considerable size. 



This splendid plant received the title of 

 magnolia from Plumier, who so named it in 

 honour of Pierre Magnol, prefect of the botanic 

 garden at Montpelier, and author of several 

 works on plants. 



Sir John Colliton is thought to have reared 

 the first plant of this kind in England, at 

 Exmouth, in Devonshire, some time prior to 

 1737. It was unknown to Mr. Miller, in 1724, 

 when he published the first edition of his 

 Gardener's and Florist's Dictionary ; but in a 

 later edition, he mentions that there were a 

 great many plants in England before the year 

 1739, but the severe winter of that year 

 destroyed most of the young ones. He also 



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