Brief Intro/Florida Urban Landscape: Florida is proud of all our Magnolias. They put the “Flori” in Florida. Once you see the bloom of the star magnolia (Magnolia stellata), you’ll understand why its signature includes the word “star.” It may not be as large and stoic as the Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), but the most spectacular blossoms are not always on the tallest trees.
The slow-growing, medium-sized, flowering, deciduous shrub or small tree can make for a perfect ornamental tree or accent shrub. The star is heat-tolerant, but has low tolerance for urban pollutants or high winds. Though small, it will demand its space. The roots are shallow and don’t like to be disturbed.
Habitat: Adaptable to most well-drained, slightly acidic soils; it thrives throughout the U.S. in hardiness zones 4-9. Zone 9 includes Florida’s panhandle and much of the northern 2/3 of the state, including Jacksonville, Gainesville, Orlando, Lakeland, and Ocala. The star magnolia delights in full sun. A southern exposure, or sheltered location, may provide some protection from late-winter frost. Good air circulation is never a bad thing.
Form: Small, compact shrub, or small tree; commonly growing to a height of 5-10 ft, but can, under ideal conditions, reach 15-20ft when mature. The common spread of10-15 ft. Young trees can display an upright oval form, but crowns will commonly round out to a dome shape with age. Well-formed branch collars at branch unions make proper pruning an easy task. It possesses a denser, more compact foliage than the saucer magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana).
Leaves: Deciduous leaves are oblong, long and narrow; about 4 inches in length, 1.5 inches wide. Early bronze-green leaves fade to deep-green as they mature; they can be susceptible to magnolia scales.
Bark: Attractive, smooth, silvery gray bark.
Flowers: Fragrant, showy white flowers often with a hint of flamingo pink. Small 3-4 inch flowers form a petal arrangement that creates a starburst effect. Even at a young age, the star magnolia will bloom late winter to early spring before the leaves appear. Flowers are vulnerable to frost.
Fruit: Early autumn, gray-green, cluster of pubescent, fat, fuzzy buds; 2 inches long. Mature fruit splits open, revealing an orange-red seed.
Uses: Popular ornamental; attracts birds, butterflies, and other pollinators.
