Southern Magnolia
Magnolia flowers are pollinated by beetles.
By LYNN ARTZ, SANDY TEDDER and DAVID RODDENBERRY
The stately southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is one of our most beautiful native trees. Large, fragrant, creamy white, flowers adorn evergreen foliage in early summer. The flowers produce conelike seedpods with large red seeds. Beetles pollinate the flowers, and quail, turkey, opossums, and other wildlife eat the fruits. Southern magnolia grows in a pyramidal shape to about 80 feet tall and 30-40 feet wide. Lower branches often bend to the ground, hiding fallen leaves. Southern magnolia prefers moist soil in part to full sun. It can be a striking specimen or create a dense screen. Sopchoppy Depot Park has one large southern magnolia in the center green with younger trees in the woodlands. A dwarf cultivar called “Little Gem” graces the entrance. They are blooming now at Sopchoppy Depot Park.