I remember one summer when I was a young child, perhaps 5 or 6 years old, that we went to a family reunion at the home of one of numerous great aunts or uncles (my grandmother was one of 12 children; my grandfather one of 11). In the yard was this great spreading tree with large dark green leaves and the most fascinating knobby red fruits. Several cousins and I played under this tree where it was dark and cool. And being curious youngsters, we also dissected the fruits in an attempt to figure out what they were.

They were, of course, the fruits of the Cucumbertree, Magnolia acuminata.

Magnolias are often described as the aristocrats of the plant world, producing large, beautiful flowers, most of which have a delicate scent. They make spectacular specimen trees. Although I have never planted this tree, it has always held a personal fascination for me. Its form, texture and color are all impressive on a large scale, and every time I see one, I think of that first experience with a Cucumbertree and the cool shade beneath its spreading branches.

The magnolia family of plants has an interesting history. It is one of the oldest and most primitive families of flowering plants of the world. Magnolia fossils have been found in North America and Asia, but not in Europe, in rocks over 80 million years old. The unusual distribution of existing Magnolia species resulted when Ice Age glaciers destroyed ancient European forests but not those in Asia or America.

In addition to the fossil record, another feature identifies Magnolias as being very ancient. Magnolia flowers are pollinated by beetles of the Nitidulidae family, indicating that they evolved before there were bees and other flying pollinators. The flowers do not have true petals and sepals and do not produce nectar but attract the pollinating beetles with fragrant, sugary secretions.

Its taxonomic history illustrates one of the problems with the naming of plants. The first Magnolia was introduced to Europe in 1688. Unaware that there were already Asian names for the these plants, the European taxonomists named Magnolias after Pierre Magnol, a 17th century professor of botany and medicine, and director of the botanic garden at Montpellier, France.

Magnolias are both temperate and tropical, and evergreen and deciduous. They characteristically have showy, fragrant flowers that are white, pink, purple, green, or yellow. The flowers are followed by showy red or pink fruits (see below) displaying red, orange, or pink seeds, each of which hangs from the fruit by a thread-like strand. The Cucumbertree or Cucumber Magnolia derives its common name from the green, immature fruits that somewhat resemble a cucumber.

Because it flowers later than many species, Cucumbertree Magnolia is seldom subject to the frost damage others often sustain. As with other magnolias, it grows best in full sun or partial shade on moist, well-drained soils. This tree is also quite tolerant of wet and alkaline soils, but not drought or pollution. It is hardy from zone 4b to zone 8. Its growth rate is moderate to rapid.

I have read that Magnolias, now including a quite a few species and many cultivars, are among the 10 most popular flowering trees in the U.S. The development of new cultivars is on going. In spite of the attraction of many more recently developed cultivars, I think that this native species is worth planting in sites that can accommodate its size. The Bickelhaupt Arboretum is a perfect place for Magnolia acuminata.

Flower

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Fruit

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