January's Flower of the Month

Star Magnolia

Magnolia stellata

mag-NO-lee-uh stell-AY-tuh

 Star magnolia can be grown as a large shrub or small tree. Form is upright and oval in youth, but with age it becomes more spreading and mounding. The oblong leaves are about four inches long and one and one-half inches wide. In late winter to early spring, snowy white, star-shaped flowers with 12 to 30 delicate petals appear before the leaves.

Blossoms are followed by reddish-green knobby aggregate fruits which are about two inches long. Slits open in mature fruits to reveal brilliant red seeds. Newly emerging leaves have a bronze cast but quickly turn dark green. In fall the leaves turn yellow to bronze but color is not exceptional. Noticeable in the winter landscape are the fuzzy terminal pussy willow-like buds held on glossy brown stems of young twigs. The main trunk is silvery gray.

Culture Star magnolia prefers morning sun with filtered shade during the hottest part of the day. It appreciates evenly moist, acidic, well-drained soil but is adaptable to a wide range of soils and is pollution tolerant. Thick, fleshy roots grow near the surface and resent disturbance.

Comments Remaining compact for many years, the star magnolia is a good selection for small properties. It blooms at an early age, and flowers are lightly fragrant. Several cultivars are available and include: ‘Royal Star’ (double-flowering form); ‘Rosea’ (light pink flowers fading to white); ‘Rubra’ (purplish rose flowers that fade to pink); ‘Centennial’ (large, many-petaled flowers with a tint of pink on the outside); and ‘Waterlily’ (larger flowers with narrower but more abundant petals than others).

Hardiness: USDA Zones 4-9                                     

Salt tolerance: Unknown

Family: Magnoliaceae (Magnolia)                              

Size: 15-20 ft. tall/10-15 feet wide

Other common names: Japanese star magnolia

Origin: Japan

Relatives: Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip poplar); Michelia figo (banana shrub)

Propagation: Cuttings; seeds

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This site was last updated 08/01/08