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THE GARDEN SAGEA library of living things
Trees & woodland lore · Western North Carolina field companion

Moonglow sweetbay magnolia

Magnolia virginiana

var australis 'Henry Hicks' upper leaf. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.
var australis 'Henry Hicks' upper leaf. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeKathleen Moore ↗ · CC BY 2.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.

Fragrant native magnolia for moist acidic soils; foliage persistence varies with winter severity.

Sun Exposure
Full sun–part shade
MATURE HEIGHT (FT)
20–35
MATURE WIDTH (FT)
15–25
BLOOM SEASON
Late spring–summer
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Get to know this plant.

Identification clue 1

Silvery leaf undersides

Identification clue 2

Creamy fragrant flowers

Identification clue 3

Cone-like aggregate fruits

Read the leaves

Turn over a smooth-edged leaf: the underside is pale silver. Foliage persistence varies with climate and cultivar.

More growing details

Read the bark

Gray bark is comparatively smooth on younger trees and becomes more textured with age.

Fruit & seed

Small cone-like aggregates expose red seeds; these are fruits rather than conifer cones.

Winter character

Look for terminal buds and leaf undersides where leaves persist; cold sites may lose foliage.

Origin & place

A cultivated selection of a mainly lowland eastern species. Local planting and natural WNC distribution are different questions.

Compare with Southern magnolia

Southern magnolia usually has thicker, larger leathery leaves with rusty hairs beneath.

WNC Notes

Fragrant native magnolia for moist acidic soils; foliage persistence varies with winter severity.

Sun Exposure

Full sun–part shade

MATURE HEIGHT (FT)

20–35

MATURE WIDTH (FT)

15–25

BLOOM SEASON

Late spring–summer

BLOOM COLOR

Creamy white

FALL / WINTER COLOR

Yellow to evergreen

Wet-Soil Tolerance

High

Drought Tolerance

Low–moderate

LOOK CLOSELY

Two views, a closer look.

Place two photographs beside one another. Compare the overall plant with leaves, flowers, or bark when those views are available. Captions identify what each photograph actually shows. Images are not at the same scale; species references may show different cultivars.

var australis 'Henry Hicks' upper leaf. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.
var australis 'Henry Hicks' upper leaf. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeKathleen Moore ↗ · CC BY 2.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.
var australis 'Henry Hicks' bark — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.
var australis 'Henry Hicks' bark — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeKathleen Moore ↗ · CC BY 2.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.
fruits July 2021 — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.
fruits July 2021 — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeHope Duckworth ↗ · CC BY 4.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.

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