Japanese Magnolia Stages

Youth

• Japanese magnolia can be grown from seeds, but commercial varieties are more likely clones, either grown from cuttings or tissue culture. According to Michael Dirr, professor emeritus at the University of Georgia, the trees grow at a "medium" rate, reaching 10 to 15 feet tall over 10 years. Grown from cuttings, Japanese magnolia will set flower buds and produce a few blossoms at 2 or 3 years old, when the young plant is between 2 and 4 feet tall. The habit is upright when the tree is young.

Maturity

• The trees reach an ultimate height of 20 to 30 feet tall, which, given their growth rate, takes 15 to 20 years. As the tree ages, the habit becomes more rounded. There is little definitive information about the lifespan of Japanese magnolia. Even if the trees were long-lived, the oldest would be less than 200 years old, because the tree was first hybridized in 1826. Among other species, southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) lives an average of 80 years and a maximum of 120 years and cucumber magnolia (Magnolia acuminata) lives an average of 80 years and a maximum of 250 years.

Spring/Summer

• Sometime in very late winter or earliest spring, depending on climate zone, Japanese magnolias begin to produce flower buds, which are slightly hairy and soft. In early spring the flowers open. They are large, sometimes 5 to 10 inches in diameter, and fragrant in some varieties. The flowers are pollinated by beetles, bees and flies. As the flowers fade, the oval-shaped leaves develop, growing between 3 and 6 inches long and alternating on the stems. The leaves are green on top and covered with soft hairs underneath.

Fall/Winter

• In late summer or early fall, some Japanese magnolias develop cone-shaped red fruits about 4 inches long. These fruits ripen and eventually open to reveal red seeds suspended on thin filaments. Because these magnolias are hybrids, however, the fruits can be sparse or nonexistent. In the fall, the dark green leaves may turn yellow-brown before dropping from the trees. Seeds, if they have been dispersed, require a period of chilling prior to germination. It may take four to six years for seed-grown plants to flower.