CHAP. Ill, 



MAGNOLIA CE^. MAGNO'L/^. 



263 



is the most remarkable for the majesty of its form, the magnificence of its 

 foliage, and the beauty of its flowers. It is first seen in the lower part of 

 North Carolina, near the river Neiise, in the latitude of 33° ; proceeding from 

 this point, it is foimd in the maritime parts of the southern states and of the 

 Floridas, and as far up the JMississippi as Natches, 300 miles above New Or- 

 leans, which embraces an extent of 2000 miles of territory. The French of 

 Louisiana call it laurier tulipier. It grows only in cool and shady places, 

 where the soil, composed of brown mould, is loose, deep, and fertile. These 

 tracts lie contiguous to the great swamps, which are found on the borders of 

 the rivers, and in the midst of the pine barrens, or form themselves a part of 

 these swamps ; but they are never seen in the long and narrow marshes called 

 branch swamps, which traverse the barrens in every direction, and in which 

 the miry soil is shallow, with a bed of white quartzose sand beneath. {Syl. 

 Amer., p. 211.) 



History. The precise date of the introduction of M. grandiflora into Britain 

 is uncertain. In the Hortus Ketvensis it is stated, on the authority of Catesby, 

 that it was cultivated before 1737 by Sir John CoUiton, at Exeter; and, as 

 far as is known,, the tree there, which is the parent of all those varieties bear- 

 ing the name of M. g. exoniensis, was the first which was raised or planted in 

 England, and, in all probability, in Europe. This tree, a notice of which 

 will be found in the Gardenei-'s Magazine, vol. xi. p. 70., was cut down, through 

 mistake, about the year 1794. It had previously been much disfigured from 

 the great number of layers that had been taken from it ; and, though the trunk 

 was 18 in. in diameter, its height was not more than 3 ft. It had been sur- 

 rounded by a scaffolding for many years, on which tubs were placed to receive 

 the branches laid down for propagation. The tree seems to have been rented 

 by different gardeners, who at first sold the layers at five guineas each ; but 

 the price gradually fell to half a guinea. From the source of supply being in 

 this part of England, it will readily be conceived that the lai'gest specimens 

 are in Devonshire. None of these, however, of which we have been able to 

 obtain dimensions, exceed 30 ft. in height. CoUinson mentions that on return- 

 ing to Goodwood, after nine years' absence, he found two plants of Magn6h'« 

 grandiflora in flower (see p. 53.) ; and that he had a plant, raised by himself 

 from seed, which flowered for the first time in 1760, when twenty years old. 



The history of the introduction of the M. grandifldra into France is thus 

 given by M. Merlet de la Boulaye, professor of botany at Angers, in the new 

 edition of Du Hamel : — " There is at Maillardiere, distant about 5 miles 

 from the town of Nantes, a fine magnolia, which was brought from the banks 

 of the Mississippi in 1732, and planted in a poor soil. It grew there more than 

 thirty years without any care having been taken of it ; as the marine ofiicer 

 who brought it died soon after he had planted it, and his heu's did not trouble 

 themselves about a tree which had as yet produced them nothing, and ap- 

 peared to them merely a variety of the C'erasus Laurocerasus. M. Bonami, 

 a physician of Nantes, and professor of botany there, who pubhshed a Flora 

 of this district, recognised, in 1738, this beautiful tree to be the Magnolia 

 grandiflora of Linnseus ; and, at the meeting of the states of Bretagne, which 

 was held at Nantes in September, 1760, he presented to the Princess of 

 Rohan-Chabet a fine branch of this magnolia in flower, which became a sub- 

 ject of conversation and interest to all there assembled. Louis XV. possessed 

 several small plants of the Magnoha grandiflora in his garden of the Petit 

 Trianon, but they did not thrive ; and, having heard of a magnolia 33 or 40 ft, 

 high, which every year was covered with fine flowers of a delicious perfume, 

 he sent two of Ms gai-deners to ascertain if it was possible to transport this 

 fine tree to Versailles ; and, above all, should they do so, if it would be cer- 

 tain to grow. They saw the tree; and, being of opinion that it would not 

 survive removal, it was suffered to remain in its place. This magnolia was, 

 at that time, from 35 ft. to 40 ft. high ; but, during the troubles of the civil 

 war of La Vendue, it was mutilated, and lost most of its branches. After- 

 wards, the burning of the house near which it was planted having damaged its 

 fine head, it was treated as an ortuige tree injm-ed by the fi'ost ; that is to say. 



