Ashe Magnolia

Description

Botanical Name:     Magnolia macrophylla var. ashei, synonyms: Magnolia ashei, Magnolia macrophylla ssp. ashei

Common Name:     Ashe’s Magnolia, Ashe Magnolia, Deciduous Magnolia, Dwarf Bigleaf Magnolia

Description:     Oh my soul, this is a gorgeous tree or shrub that should be used in our gardens way more often. It’s endemic to only six counties in the Florida Panhandle, meaning that is the only place in the world where it grows naturally. Per the Florida Native Plant Society: ‘This is a very rare species endemic to a few steep-sided ravines and bluffs in the Florida panhandle.’  It is listed as Endangered in Florida. So if you see it in the wild, please take only pictures.

The leaves on it are huge! They get 1-3′, yes feet!, long and up to a foot at their widest point. They are green on the topside, with a whitish coloring on the underside. It makes a beautiful sight when the breeze is moving them around. This is a deciduous tree, so it drops its leaves in the fall. Being in the Magnolia family, it, of course, has gorgeous, fragrant flowers that are creamy white. This species’ flowers, however, differ in that they have purple/reddish spots at the base of the petals. The flowers open up cup shaped, then flatten out as they age. The flowers have 6 to 8 petals, with each petal about 6″ long, so the overall bloom is 10-12″ wide. Bloom time is May through June, and the plants bloom at a very young age. Red to purple colored cone-like fruits follow the flowers.

The flowers attract all kinds of pollinators including bees and butterflies but beetles are the primary pollinator of this tree. Fruits are eaten and spread by birds and small mammals. Is deer resistant.

Grows 12 – 25′ tall x 10-15′ wide. Is a moderate to fast grower.

It loves being planted in part sun, part shade, or shade in acidic soils. The leaves will burn in too much sun. Their native habitat is slope forest and upland mixed forest in clay, loam, or sandy soils. Likes a moist but well drained soil. No flooding. After becoming established, it is moderately drought tolerant.

Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray.

Note:  The industry standard height for this tree in 3-gallon and 7-gallon containers is shorter than most of the other trees I sell. 

This plant in 3-gallon containers is 1 – 2 feet tall.

This plant in 7-gallon containers is 3 – 4 feet tall.

Plant Lore:  The Garden Club of America named the Ashe Magnolia its 2017 Plant of the Year.

Florida Hardiness Zones 8 – 9