Virginia Tech Dendrology

saucer magnolia Magnoliaceae Magnolia xsoulangiana Soul.-Bod. [denudata x liliifolia] symbol: MASO9
Leaf: Alternate, simple, oblong to obovate, 3 to 6 inches long, entire margin, green above, paler and fuzzy below.
Flower: Species is monoecious; large (4 to 8 inches) and showy, light pink to nearly purple petals, appearing in mid-spring.
Fruit: A cone-like aggregate of follicles, 2 to 3 inches long; matures in late summer.
Twig: Moderate, gray-brown, glabrous; buds tan and very fuzzy, flower buds quite large (nearly an inch); stipule scar encircles twig.
Bark: Smooth, mottled gray.
Form: Small tree to 20 feet, typically multi-stemmed with a narrow crown.
Looks like: star magnolia - sweetbay magnolia

Additional Range Information: Magnolia xsoulangiana is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information