Oh, how I adore Magnolia trees! There are over 200 varieties from Asia, Europe and North America with flowers in a variety of shapes (bowl, star shaped, and more), sizes (small to huge) and colours: shades of pink, purple, yellow, green and white. We can enjoy their heavenly blooms from early Spring to late Summer, with sometimes more than one blissful blooming season in a year.
Did you know that Magnolia trees are among the earliest flowering plants on our planet? They date back over 100 million years…before there were bees! Yes, that’s right! Originally, Magnolia trees relied on beetles for pollination. That’s why when you look at their petals and the interior structure of their flowers, they’re very thick and sturdy, to withstand beetles crawling around in them. Amazing, eh?
Did you know that Magnolia flower petals are edible? They can be added to salads when they’re fresh and they can be pickled and sugared as well. A lovely tea can be made from their leaves too. But eating the fruit is not advised.
Magnolia bark has anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties, helps with rheumatism and malaria, can reduce skin rashes, and is used as a sleep aid in Chinese and Japanese medicines. It is also used in weight loss products, cosmetics, perfumes and aromatherapy. And is found to reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Wow, what a healing tree!
We have an abundance of gorgeous Magnolia trees in our James Bay neighbourhood. Here are 5 of my favourite trees in the Magnolia family in our beloved Beacon Hill Park:
Cucumber Tree: This is the only species of Magnolia tree that’s native to Canada. You can find a big beauty near the Rose Garden. It’s called Cucumber Tree because its unripe fruit looks like baby cucumbers. These trees originated in southern Ontario and are endangered. They’re protected trees under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. Watch for their jewel, ruby-like fruit in late Summer, but please don’t eat them.
Tulip Tree: There are several of these amazing trees across the street from the big Cricket Field on Heywood. These giant trees are native to the Southeastern USA and they’re the state tree of Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. In late Spring, they erupt into the most beautiful green, yellow and orange tulip-shaped flowers which attract hummingbirds, honeybees, butterflies and more. Such a magical sight to see! I love their variety of shaped leaves – some are heart-shaped while others are tulip or violin shaped.
Magnolia Campbellii: You can find a huge one of these beauties near the big Watering Can. Its bright fuchsia blooms can be found on bare branches in early Spring and wow, what a show! But my favourite time to watch it is in the late Summer when you can witness it’s alien-like fruit. It’s quite shocking as it comes in a variety of contorted shapes, and it has eye-like sockets that open to reveal bright orange seeds. I collected one from the ground and watched its “eyes” slowly open over a week. It was creepy cool!
Southern Magnolia: This is an evergreen Magnolia tree. My favourite two Southern Magnolia trees are on the other side of the stream from the Moss Lady. These are originally from the Southern USA where they are highly revered. Countless songs and poems have been written about these trees. And their large, creamy white, majestic blooms with delicate scents…truly magnificent!
Touch the leaves of these enchanting trees and you’ll notice that they feel like soft velvet on one side. As an artist, I love to stitch leaves, and these are my favourite ones to stitch. They’re nice and thick, almost leather-like, so they take the needle and thread well. Try this fun Summer past-time in the park: Bring a couple of large sewing needles and colourful threads and meet a friend in the park. Gather a few, fresh Southern Magnolia leaves from the ground and try stitching simple patterns on them while chatting and enjoying the sunshine together. So relaxing and joyful!
This article was originally published in the James Bay Beacon newspaper in July/August 2024.
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