Mystery Tree No More

For a few weeks now, I've noticed an odd looking tree that just seemed out of place in South Jersey. It looked tropical, yet I knew it wasn't because a tropical plant could not survive a northern winter. One day, on my way home from work, I was lucky enough to stop and talk to the homeowner where this tree was growing. I inquired as to what kind of tree it was, but the homeowner did not know. He was told it was a Magnolia, but he wasn't sure.

To me, it did not look like any Magnolia I had ever seen. The leaves were 18 to 30 inches long, wavy and seemed somewhat frail. It did, however, have the rose colored cone-like fruit that many magnolias get late in the summer or early in the fall. I had to know what kind of tree it was.

Last weekend I took action. I grabbed my digital camera, drove to the house, and snapped a few shots. I emailed a friend that works at a local nursery and he wrote back that he thought it was in fact a Magnolia and a rare one at that. He wrote that he believed it was a Magnolia ashei, a rare (at least to New Jersey) Magnolia that is indigenous to the northern pan-handle of Florida. Now before anyone writes me back, I also understand that this could be a Magnolia macrophylla as well. Either way, I look forward to getting one in the near future.

For anyone who is interested, more information on Magnolia ashei can be found below.

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/dendrology/Syllabus2/factsheet.cfm?ID=814 http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500767