MAGNOLIAS. 319 
7 to 8 inches broad. The flowers are white with nine to twelve 
petals, the outer ones being pendent ; they are produced from May 
to July and have a rather unpleasant odour. It was introduced 
in 1752. 
M. acuminata is known as the Cucumber Tree, from the resem- 
blance of its fruit to a small cucumber. It is a deciduous tree of 
large size, attaining a height of from 60 to 80 feet. The flowers have 
six to nine petals and are yellowish within, glaucous without ; they 
bloom from May to July and are slightly fragrant. This species was 
introduced in 1736. There is a fine specimen at Kew. 
M. cordata is a deciduous tree with canary-yellow flowers slightly 
streaked with red, which seldom expand fully. It may be regarded 
as a form of acuminata, but is of dwarfer, more bushy growth. It 
was introduced into this country in 1800, and there are plants at 
Kew which flower abundantly. 
M. parviflora is a small shrub, but is one of the most beautiful 
of the family, and it is quite hardy. The flowers which are borne from 
May to August are white (tinted rose), almost globular in shape, and 
very strongly scented. The stamens are numerous and of a rosy 
crimson colour, giving the flowers a very distinct character. " Oxon," 
writing in Gardening Illustrated of July 12, 191 9, described a plant of 
this variety, 10 feet high and 40 feet round the spread of the branches, 
which flowered very freely. 
M. macrophylla has immense leaves, but the true plant is very 
scarce. A remarkable plant even among the larger Magnolias, its 
leaves have been measured up to 3 feet in length. Their distinctive 
character is their sagittate shape, and because of this fact M. tripetala, 
though somewhat resembling it when both are young, should never 
be mistaken for it. The flowers are creamy white, with a purple spot 
near the base of each petal, and are very fragrant, flowering in June and 
July ; they are 10 to 12 inches across with six to nine petals. The 
tree ordinarily attains a height of from 15 to 30 feet, though there 
is a specimen at Claremont 40 feet high ; it succeeds perfectly in a 
young state at Exminster, S. Devon, but is a rare plant in nurseries. 
It was introduced from S. Carolina in 1752. 
M. glauca (synon5mis M. fragrans, Swamp Sassafras, Beaver Wood) 
is a small-leaved species, almost evergreen, with small sweet-scented 
yellowish- white flowers. It is a native of the United States introduced 
into this country in 1688. In habit it is a dwarf shrubby tree attain- 
ing a height of about 20 feet, almost evergreen. The leaves are 
eUipticai, deep green above and glaucous beneath. The flowers are 
produced from June to September. 
M. glauca Thompsoniana was discovered about 1808 amongst a pot 
of seedlings of M. glauca, and was propagated by Mr. Thompson in 
his nursery at Mile End, under the above name. It is a loose-growing 
shrub with creamy white flowers, which are larger than those of 
M. glauca, and is probably a hybrid between M. glauca and M. tripetala. 
The plants flower in a small state. 
