Magnolia Day 6 April 2004
Magnolia stellata, M. kobus and M.x loebneri
A collection of cultivars were discussed by Floral Committee B who were joined by the Rhododendron and Camellia Committee.
These magnolias are useful spring flowering shrubs and small trees growing best in moisture-retentive soils in a sunny position to encourage good flowering.
The species have white flowers but the depth of the colour of the pink flowered cultivars may vary from season to season, sometimes making identification confusing.
Some taxonomists consider that there is only one species, M. kobus and that M. stellata and M. x loebneri are simply varieties (M. kobus var. stellata and M. kobus var. loebneri).
M. stellata is a small and slow growing deciduous species which rarely exceeds about 3m (10ft) in height. It bears fragrant, predomiantely white flowers 7-8cm (3in) wide usually with 12-15 narrow tepals (petals) before the leaves in March to April. Cultivars have been selected with flowers that are pink or pink tinged, or have more tepals or are larger in size.
It is found wild in central Japan where it is quite rare and found only in a relatively small area in north-east Nagoya. It was first introduced into cultivation in the UK in about 1877. It is eminently suitable for a smaller garden growing best in moisture-retentive soils in full sun.
M. kobus is a deciduous tree which can ultimately reach to 10-15m (33-50ft) in height. The flowers have six tepals, about 10cm (4in) across and are normally pure white but sometimes have a basal pink stripe on the outside of the tepals.
This species is also found wild in Japan and seed was brought to England by Maries in 1879 but did not flower for about 30 years although not all plants wait so long before flowering.
M. x loebneri is a hybrid between M. stellata and M. kobus which was deliberately raised in Germany by Max Löbner around 1910. The plant is intermediate in size between the parents but the freely bourne white flowers are larger than M. stellata and with about 12 tepals.
| M. kobus var. borealis AM 1948 | A tree like form of the species. Used as a street tree in Cardiff, especially in avenues. |
| M. kobus 'Edward A Kehr' | Polyploid induced plant. An extremely vigorous, bushy plant to 2.1-2.4m (7-8ft) high & wide - larger leaves, thicker wood. |
| M. kobus Killerton form | A very good plant, easy to propagate making a twiggy bush. Flowers white with a greenish base, not unlike M. x loebneri 'Spring Snow'. |
| M. kobus open pollinated seedling | Fast growing floriferous plant with white flowers and broad tepals. |
| M. x loebneri (M. kobus x M. stellata) | A wide spreading plant, not flowering when young. Flowers good clean white, with sweet scent. Distinct from 'Merrill' and probably worthy of a cultivar name. |
| M. x loebneri 'Ballerina' | Fragrant white flowers faint pink flush at base of 30 or more tepals. A useful late flowering upright plant. None of the plants exhibited appeared to be correctly named. |
| M. x loebneri 'Donna' FCC 2001 | Strong vigorous plant with large white flowers opening flat and wide rounded tepals. |
| M. x loebneri 'Leonard Messel' FCC 1969; AGM | Considered one of top 10 magnolias. Flowers with 12 tepals, purplish pink outside and white within. Colour appears to be influenced by temperature in spring and at bud set in autumn. |
| M. x loebneri 'Merrill' FCC 1979; AGM | Strong-growing, very reliable, upright plant used as a street tree in USA. Flowers slightly later. Flowers larger with up to 15 tepals which are wider than in M. stellata. Leaves rather pale and yellowish at first but darken by late June. |
| M. x loebneri 'Neil McEacharn' AM 1968 | Broad spreading tree like plant with small white flowers faintly flushed pale pink on reverse of tepals. |
| M. x loebneri 'Pink Perfection' | A slow growing plant, early flowering with dark pink flowers of 40-55 or more tepals. The exhibited plant did not appear to be correct. |
| M. x loebneri 'Pirouette' | A seedling of 'Ballerina', 2.5-3m (8-10ft) high, compact habit and citrus-scented white flowers. Distinctive good solid white, gardenia-like flowers. |
| M. x loebneri 'Pirouette' seedling | Not considered to be an improvement on 'Pirouette'. |
| M. x loebneri 'Powder Puff' | Medium sized plant with pretty pure white flowers which hold the 18-25 tepals erect. A good plant. |
| M. x loebneri 'Raspberry Fun' | Like 'Leonard Messel' but more floriferous with 16-18 wider tepals and flowers in two or threes rather than single. Raised at Chollipo Arboretum and flowers deeper pink in the brighter light in Korea. An up-and-coming plant. |
| M. x loebneri 'Snowdrift' | Late flowering and not out for the meeting. Large leaves and large white flowers with about 12 tepals. The plant from Windsor was probably incorrect. |
| M. x loebneri 'Spring Snow' | A fine, slow growing small tree with large, slightly fragrant flowers and 15 broad pure white tepals tinged green on outside. Difficult to root from cuttings. |
| M. x loebneri 'Star Bright' | Vigorous upright plant with flowers like M. stellata. Free flowering with a lot of tepals which tend to flop. Not outstanding. |
| M. x loebneri 'Willowwood' | A good to average cultivar with large, slightly scented, flowers and 11-14 tepals, flowering abundantly. Considered to be M. x loebneri by the Magnolia Registration Authority but M. stellata by Committee members. |
| M. stellata ex Veitch | A cutting from the original plant received from the sale of Coombe Wood in 1913. A slow growing but good flowering plant from one of the earlier introduction. The earliest plant was thought to be at Caerhayes in 1897. |
| M. stellata wild collected | A plant of 2.5 x 2.5m (8 x 8ft) which flowered after 12 years collected as seed in Honshu. Flowers with a very pink line on back of tepals and narrow tepals. |
| M. stellata 'Alixeed' from Mike Robinson | Highly scented, late, light pink flowers with upright petals originating from USA. Still a small plant but looks promising. Considered to be M. stellata by the Magnolia Registration Authority but M. x loebneri by Committee members. |
| M. stellata 'Centennial' | The whitest cultivar of M. stellata with large white flowers sometimes flushed pink and 28-33 tepals. Originally called 'Harvard Centennial'. Good. |
| M. stellata 'Chrysanthemiflora' | Plant 4-5m (13-17ft) tall making a good small tree. Flowers a good pink with over 40 narrow tepals with a darker pink line on outside and deeper pink in bud. This name was considered to be synonymous with 'Keiskei (Flore) Plena'. |
| M. stellata 'Dawn' | A small slow growing, dense bush with persistent pink coloured flower with over 50 tepals. Slightly later in flower but not flowering abundantly. |
| M. stellata 'Jane Platt' AM 1993 | Light pink flowers with 20-30 tepals. A good pink colour and plant from RHS seems to be darkest. Plant from M Robinson was correctly named but the one from M Foster possibly incorrect. |
| M. stellata 'Kikuzaki' | Very slow growing reaching just over 1m (3ft) in 12 years. Small pale pink to white flowers with 20-30 tepals borne on young plants. The name means 'chrysanthemum-flowered'. |
| M. stellata 'Keiskei' | A distinct less compact form with darker pink buds and fewer tepals than 'Chrysanthemiflora'. |
| M. stellata 'King Rose' | Very pale pink multi tepaled flower from New Zealand becoming white on opening. syn 'Rosea King'. A good form but rather pale. |
| M. stellata 'Massey' | Syns. 'Dr Massey' and 'Rosea Massey'. Pink buds becoming white on opening with dark pink line on back of many tepals. |
| M. stellata 'Norman Gould' FCC 1967 | A colchicine-induced polyploid of M. kobus with scented, pure white flowers. One of a number raised at Wisley as a result of work of Janeki Ammal. It was questioned whether the plant from Hillier Arboretum was correct. |
| M. stellata 'Rosea' | The plant from High Beeches dated from before 1932 and had a good neat flower. The plants exhibited showed considerable variability and it was considered that the name f. rosea would be more appropriate for similar pink flowered cultivars than giving a cultivar name to one clone. Buds red-pink and 8-12 tepals white inside, becoming totally white as flower matures. |
| M. stellata 'Royal Star' | Larger and faster growing bush than M. stellata flowering about a week later Flowers white with 20-30 tepals and pale pink buds. It was thought that the plant from D Clark had too few tepals which were too wide. |
| M. stellata select pink | Pale pink flowers fading to white but nothing outstanding. |
| M. stellata Trewithen form | Possibly the best form of white flowered M. stellata reaching about 2 x 4 m (6.5 x 13ft) in 20 years. Flowers buds an attractive silvery grey. The original plant at Trewithen is now lost. Merits a cultivar name. Not unlike 'Royal Star'. |
| M. stellata 'Two Stones' | A polyploid plant seen by J Gallagher and J Hillier in Chollio Arboretum as a small plant to 1.5m (5ft) covered in scented white flowers, greenish white in bud. All plants in UK are still very small but this promising plant may supersede 'Donna'. |
| M. stellata 'Waterlily' AGM | More erect bush, flowers with pink flush on outside of over 30 longer and narrower tepals. |