Magnolia flowers bloom from Magnolia trees; evergreen types of trees from the Magnoliaceae family, which was named after a French botanist called Pierre Magnol.
These trees have been around for literally millions of years – fossilized versions of the plant have been found which date back to around 95 million years ago!
Because of their extensive history of evolution, magnolia flowers do not have regular petals, but instead are formed from tepals. These are extremely similar to petals, but just don’t quite fit into their classification.
The ancient lineage of the magnolia tree is paired with its undeniable beauty. The flowers that blossom on magnolia trees are often formed in the shape of stars, and sometimes shaped like bowls.
They open up to reveal a variety of beautiful colors. The most common colors of magnolia flowers are pink and white, but there are also green, purple and yellow magnolia flower species.
The most widely spread magnolia is the Southern magnolia, which boasts elegant white tepals, and accounts for most of the United States’ magnolia trees.
Because of this, you may not be aware of all the other beautiful types of magnolia trees that exist, and might not have seen their prettily colored flowers.
That is why we have gathered together all of our favorite magnolia flowers, and put them in a list for you to explore below.
Read on to find out more about the beautiful types of magnolia flowers, which could give your garden the uplift it deserves.
1. Magnolia Grandiflora A.K.A. Southern Magnolia
First up is the famous Southern Magnolia, which can be seen lining the streets of cities all over the world. The flowers on this tree are bowl-shaped white or cream flowers, and blossom in Summer and Autumn, which is when they release their sweet fragrance.
2. Magnolia X Soulangeana
Otherwise known as a Chinese magnolia, this tree grows flowers that blossom into shapes similar to that of a tulip flower.
The flowers are predominantly white, but have a beautiful stroke of purpley-pink that begins at the base of the flower and fades as it rises towards the tip. These flowers bloom in late spring and are extremely fragrant.
3. Magnolia Stellata
More commonly called the star magnolia, this tree has flowers that grow – funnily enough – in the shape of stars.
They are bright white in color, and have more tepals than most other magnolia flowers; there are up to eighteen of them! They bloom in early spring.
4. Magnolia Liliiflora
This tree has been cultivated in Japan and China for hundreds of years, so is often called Japanese Magnolia.
The flowers on this tree tend to start blooming earlier in the year than other magnolia flowers, beginning in spring and sticking around until some time in Autumn.
The flowers have an intense purple color all over, which makes them much darker than most other magnolia flowers.
5. Magnolia Denudata
This tree has many names, including Yulan Magnolia and Lily Tree.
It is understandable that people compare the flowers to lilies, because they are a beautifully bright white color, and share a similar shape.
They begin blooming in a closed cup shape, and proceed to open up to a lily-esque shape. Occasionally, there will be a hint of pink coloring at the base of the flowers.
They bloom in late winter or early spring, and their fragrance is refreshing and citrusy.
6. Sweetbay Magnolia
The flowers on this tree are a dark cream color and have hints of yellow undertones. The yellow color is complemented beautifully by the scent of lemon that is released by the flower, when it blooms in spring.
7. Magnolia Figo
This tree can grow flowers that vary in color; they will either be white, light purple, or dark purple.
This tree is often referred to as a Banana Shrub, due to the fact that the scent released by the flowers is reminiscent of bananas.
8. Magnolia Liliifera
Although it sounds similar to the Magnolia Liliiflora, this tree is very different from it. Its most common nickname is Egg Magnoli, because of the way in which the shape of the flower buds resemble that of an egg.
Once the flowers open, though, they can reach a width of 4.5”, and display pretty yellow tepals. The flowers’ fragrance is strong.
9. Magnolia Campbellii
This next flower is vastly different from all other magnolia flowers on this list so far when it is in bud form. The bud is a dark crimson color, and has a thin conical shape.
Once the flowers bloom, though, they resemble Chinese Magnolia. They blossom into cup-shaped flowers that are mostly white, with a red or pink tinge at the base.
10. Magnolia Omeiensis
Originally from China, this now critically-endangered species is extremely popular in well-kept parks and public gardens. It is extremely attractive; its tepals are a pure white color, and it has beautiful deep crimson foliage growing within them.
11. Magnolia Boliviana
The flowers on this tree are spectacular. Their color is a deep and bright pink, with purple undertones, and they are made up of six tepals. They can also grow in a white color, too.
12. Magnolia Gilbertoi
The tepals on this flower are extremely thick, and they range in shape and size, giving each flower a unique shape. The color is golden yellow, which make them look regal and valuable.
They are quite rare trees, so they are not that widely available.
13. Magnolia Wilsonii
Next up is a gorgeous tree, whose flowers bloom in spring and summer and release a wonderful fragrance. The white color of the tepals are beautifully contrasted with dark crimson stamens.
14. Magnolia Sprengeri Var. Diva
This lovely tree grows the most beautiful flowers. They grow among silvery leaves, and take the shape of open cups. The color of these flowers is a vibrant pink, and the tepals spread to give the flowers a width of up to 20cm.
15. Magnolia Delavayi
The flowers on this tree have tepals that range from small to large, from the inside to the outside of the flower. The color of the flower is light cream, and they can grow up to 20cm wide in summer.
16. Magnolia Doltsopa
This tree has dark green leaves with grey hairs on their underside. Contrastingly, their flowers are a bright and pure cream color, and take the smooth shape of a bowl.
They blossom between spring and summer, and are very fragrant.
17. Magnolia Fraseri
Otherwise known as Fraser Magnolia, Mountain Magnolia, Earleaf Cucumbertree (that’s our favorite name for it), and Mountain-oread, this tree is native to the Appalachian Mountains.
The flowers on these trees are large, spreading to 25cm wide, and begin to blossom in late spring or early summer. They are a beautiful snowy white, and can occasionally have brush strokes of yellow coloring.
18. Magnolia Cylindrica
The flowers on this tree appear in April. They have six sepals of a gorgeous white color, each of which grows to about four inches long, and has a light pink tone spread throughout the middle.
This dusting of pink coloring is matched by the pale pink stamens within the tepals.
19. Magnolia Dawsoniana
These trees can grow up to 40 ft tall in the wild, and the flowers’ tepals usually reach around 5 inches long. The tepals are wide and have a white cream color, with a tinge of purple.
What is unique about these flowers is that they grow downwards as they blossom, elegantly hanging from their branches.
20. Magnolia Zenii
This tree originates from China, and was found when there were only around 30 of them left in the wild. The flowers are a very light white color, which makes them look simple and elegant.
However, they can occasionally have pink tepals, too. They are quite small, as magnolia flowers go, so can be quite easily damaged by frosts.
21. Magnolia Dealbata
The flowers from this type of tree were often used as church decorations in small towns of Mexico, because of their beauty.
They are a dark cream color, and do not have any other blotches of color on them, which makes them look pure and delicate. Their scent is strong and quite sweet.
22. Magnolia Amoena
The flowers on this tree tend to grow before the leaves do. The tepals on the flowers are pale pink and grow darker towards the middle of the flower, and the stamens within the tepals are a dark red with purple tones.
The flowers can grow up to 6cm across, and tend to blossom in late spring. The word ‘Amoena’ means ‘beautiful’, and we can understand why it has been given this name.
23. Magnolia Globosa
The flowers of this tree sit among beautiful heart-shaped leaves. They bloom from a light green shoot, and have between nine and twelve tepals. The color of the tepals is creamy and white, and the stamens are a slightly darker shade of cream. They are quite spherical in shape.
We hope you learned something from this article, here are other articles that you can learn from:
65 Stunning Purple Flowers of Different Types (Including Pictures)
