Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)

Quick Facts

• Type: tree
• Size: 60-80 ft tall
• Sun: full
• Water: moderate
• Soil: Adaptable; rich, moist, acidic soils best
• USDA zones: 7-10

Huge fragrant white blooms and glossy evergreen leaves – the South's signature tree.

Evergreen canopy for North and Central Florida; give it space – leaves and cones drop year-round.

In the Landscape

The classic Southern evergreen — glossy leaves, huge fragrant white flowers, and year-round presence. A stately specimen or screen tree for large properties. Plant away from patios; the heavy leaf and cone drop is constant.

Care & Propagation

Plant in fall or spring, 20+ feet from structures. Mulch widely — surface roots resent lawnmowers. Water through the first two summers. Essentially pest-free and needs little pruning.

Seeds need cold stratification (about 3 months) and take their time; many growers prefer nursery-grown plants. Can also root from cuttings with effort.

Wildlife Value

Big red seeds feed turkeys, quail, and songbirds in fall. Evergreen foliage shelters birds year-round, and the giant flowers attract beetles — magnolias evolved before bees existed and are still beetle-pollinated.

🌱 Fun fact: Southern magnolia flowers are pollinated by beetles, not bees — the flowers are ancient, from a time before bees evolved, and their tough petals are built to survive chewing beetle pollinators.

← Browse all Florida native plants

🌴 In Florida

Evergreen canopy for North and Central Florida; give it space – leaves and cones drop year-round.

🌿 Keep exploring

More Florida natives worth meeting:

• Alachua bully (Sideroxylon alachuense)
• American Elm (Ulmus americana)
• American Holly (Ilex opaca)