12 Popular Types of Magnolia Trees and Shrubs

Anise Magnolia (Magnolia salicifolia)

The anise magnolia has leaves that look somewhat like those of a willow tree or shrub. They are wider than willow leaves but not as wide as the usual magnolia leaf (another common name is willow-leaf magnolia). This deciduous tree will produce white flowers with strappy petals before the leaves unfurl in the spring. The fall color is a pleasing golden yellow.

• Native Area: Japan
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 6 to 9
• Height: Up to 30 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Bigleaf Magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla)

Bigleaf magnolia lives up to its name, producing leaves that can be up to 32 inches long. Like most magnolias, it is normally a deciduous tree, though it may be evergreen in the warmer zones. The blooms, which normally appear in May, are as much as 10 inches across and are white with purple petal bases.

• Native Area: Southeastern U.S., Mexico
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8
• Height: 30 to 40 feet; occasionally to 60 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Ashe's Magnolia (Magnolia ashei)

Ashe's magnolia can be either a large shrub or a small tree, depending on how it is pruned. It is sometimes treated as a subspecies of the bigleaf magnolia (its leaves are as much as 2 feet long). Its name was given in honor of William Willard Ashe of the United States Forest Service. The white flowers have petals up to 1 foot long, blooming after the light-green leaves have emerged in the spring.

• Native Area: Florida
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 6 to 9
• Height: Up to 30 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Cucumber Tree (Magnolia acuminata)

Cucumber tree magnolia is so named because the fruits look somewhat like the vegetable. This is the most cold-hardy of the magnolias, but while it has the large glossy leaves (up to 10 inches long) and large growth habit of the classic southern magnolias, the greenish, tulip-shaped flowers are much less showy— only about 2 inches across. The fruits that follow the flowers turn from green to red as they mature. This can be a good shade tree or specimen tree for colder climates, provided you are willing to tolerate the mess that goes with the large leaves.

• Native Area: Appalachian regions of U.S., southern Ontario
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8
• Height: 60 to 80 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Lily Magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora)

The lily magnolia is one of the smaller species, growing as a shrub or small tree. In early spring before the leaves open, this shrub puts out a huge flush of lightly perfumed reddish-purple or pink flowers shaped like lilies. A favorite cultivar, 'Nigra', is renowned for deeply colored flowers. After flowering, dark green elliptical leaves appear. This species is a parent of the saucer magnolia.

• Native Area: Southwest China
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 7 to 10
• Height: 8 to 12 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Kobus Magnolia (Magnolia kubos)

The Kobus magnolia is a slow-growing species that exhibits many of the classic magnolia traits—fragrant white flowers tinged with pink that appear before the leaves open, and large, dark-green leaves. Also known as Japanese magnolia or northern Japanese magnolia, it is most often planted as a specimen tree where early-season flowers are desired. This species tends to form multiple trunks, but pruning it back to a central leader will give it a more traditional tree-like shape.

Kobus magnolia is one of the parent species (Stella magnolia is the other) that together produce the Loebner magnolia.

• Native Area: Japan, Korea
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8
• Height: 25 to 50 feet, occasionally 75 feet with very old trees
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Loebner Magnolia (Magnolia × loebneri)

The Loebner magnolia is a hybrid produced by crossing Kobus magnolia and star magnolia. This small tree usually has multiple stems, but you can create a central leader by pruning. Fragrant star-shaped pink and white flowers 4 to 6 inches wide appear in spring before the foliage emerges. The dark green oval leaves are smaller than other magnolias, no more than 5 inches long.

• Native Area: hybrid plant; no natural range
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9
• Height: 20 to 30 feet; occasionally as tall as 60 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangiana)

Created by crossing the lily magnolia and the Yulan magnolia, the saucer magnolia can either be a large shrub with multiple stems or a small tree. The white blooms with pink interiors typically appear in early spring before the leaves appear. Many cultivars are available offering different flower colors in the purple range. This is the most commonly grown magnolia in the United States.

• Native Area: hybrid plant; no natural range
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 9
• Height: 20 to 25 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)

When people think of magnolias or read about them in novels of the antebellum South, the southern magnolia is very likely the plant that comes to mind. This magnolia tree's flower is the state flower of Louisiana and Mississippi. Southern magnolia is a large evergreen tree that needs lots of space. The elliptical leaves are large and leathery, up to 10 inches long, and the white flowers appearing in mid-summer to early autumn can be as much as 12 inches across. While most magnolias prefer full sun but tolerate some shade, this is a magnolia that actually does best in part shade.

• Native Area: Southeastern U.S.
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 7 to 9
• Height: 60 to 80 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Star Magnolia (Magnolia stellata)

Star magnolia is a deciduous small tree or large shrub that produces star-shaped white flowers in later winter or early spring, before any other flowering tree, and before even most spring bulbs. When possible, plant it in a sheltered location to help it flower in the spring, as the buds are easily damaged by frost.

• Native Area: Japan
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
• Height: 15 to 20 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana)

Regionally, this plant may also be known as beaver tree, swamp magnolia, or laurel magnolia. In cooler locations, the sweetbay magnolia is usually a deciduous shrubby plant with multiple stems, while in warmer zones it tends to be an upright tree that remains evergreen. It is an excellent plant for boggy locations or clay soils. Waxy white flowers appear in midsummer to early autumn; the shiny green oblong leaves have silvery undersides.

• Native Area: Eastern U.S.
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 10
• Height: 10 to 35 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Umbrella Magnolia (Magnolia tripetala)

The umbrella magnolia is named for the enormous shiny leaves (up to 24 inches long and 10 inches across), which droop down around the ends of the branches. This is a multi-stemmed small tree; its native habitat is the understory forests of Appalachia, so this is a plant that does very well in shady locations. The creamy white flowers, 6 to 10 inches across, appear just after the leaves emerge around late spring to early summer. While they're fragrant, they're not particularly sweet-smelling.

• Native Area: Eastern North America
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8
• Height: 15 to 30 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade