| Scientific Name: | Magnolia stellata |
| Common Name: | star magnolia |
| Family Name: | Magnoliaceae |
| Origin: | S.E. Asia / Japan / China |
| Hardiness Zone: | Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C) |
| Plant Type: | Tree - deciduous |
| Mature Size: | 2 - 3m x 2 - 3m (height x width) |
| Habit: | Spreading, Upright |
| Form: | Oval - vertical, Round |
| Texture: | Medium |
| Landscape Uses: | Specimen plant, Spring interest |
| Exposure: | Full sun only if soil kept moist, Part sun/part shade, Sheltered |
| Soil or Media: | Acidic, Humus rich, Well-drained |
| Leaves: | Simple, Alternate, Soft flexible, Pinnate venation, Glabrous, Elliptic, Oblanceolate, Oblong, Obovate, Entire |
| Flowers: | Flowers solitary, White, Pink, Mar-Apr |
| Fruit: | Aggregate fruit, Follicle, Orange, Green, Red, Sep-Oct |
| Key ID Features: | |
| Tree multi-stem, compact, bushy with lower branching compared to other magnolias; leaves alternate, most blades elliptical, 8-12cm x 4-6cm wide, buds densely silver pubescent; flowers star-like, 7-10(-13)cm wide, most with 25-30 strap-like, white tepals, first magnolia to flower (M. 'Royal Star' has slightly pinkish flower buds which open up to 2 weeks later than species); aggregate fruit knobby, most 3-6cm long, pink-red before maturng brown, follicles with orange-red seeds. Winter ID: twigs with grey pubescence; flower buds mostly 1-2cm long with dense silvery hairs, leaf buds 5-9mm long with much shorter hairs. | |