Scientific Name:
Magnolia kobus
Pronunciation:
mag-NO-lee-uh KOE-bus
Common Name:
northern Japanese magnolia
Family Name:
Magnoliaceae
Plant Type:
Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves alternate, obovate, 7-15cm long x 4-6cm wide, apex acute, margin ciliate, base cuneate, petioles 1-2cm long; flowers 8-10cm wide, 6 tepals, white with pink tinge, open before leaves, Mar-Apr; aggregate fruit 2-8cm long, knobby follicles with red seeds. Winter ID: graceful habit, usually multi-stemmed, broken twigs with strong odour; persistent or dropped irregular shaped fruit; flower buds hairy, about 2cm long; leaf buds 2-4mm long, nearly black with grey hairs.
Habit:
Dense, Spreading
Form:
Pyramidal - widely, Round
Texture:
Coarse
Mature Height:
7 - 10m
Mature Spread:
7 - 10m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
S.E. Asia / Japan / China (Japan)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Humus rich, Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Attract birds, Specimen plant, Spring interest, Winter interest
Additional Info:
Google. Compare to M. stellata (once considered a variety of M. kobus).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Pubescent
Colour in Summer:
Dark-green
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Obovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Cuneate
Margins:
Ciliate, Entire, Undulate (wavy)
Additional Info:
to 10cm long; margins with fine hairs but undersides glabrous
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers solitary
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
6
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White (pinkish tinge)
Flower Scent:
Fragrant
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr
Additional Info:
Many simple pistils
Fruit Type:
Aggregate fruit, Follicle
Fruit Colour:
Pink (scarlet coloured seeds)
Fruiting Time:
Additional Info:
Showy, 3 to 8cm long; seeds red
Bark Morphology:
Lightly fissured, Multi-stem trunk, Single stem trunk
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey, Brown
Additional Info:
Strong odour to broken twigs.
Leaf Bud Type:
Ovoid
Leaf Scar Shape:
Crescent shaped
Propagation:
Seed, Cuttings
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Scale insects (Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
