Magnolia virginiana
sweetbay, sweet bay, laurier doux, swamp-bay
Family
Magnoliaceae
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Attachment
petiolate
Leaf Margin
entire
Leaf Type
simple
Leaf Shape
oblong, elliptic, oblanceolate, obovate, ovate
Growth Form
shrub, tree
Flower Color
white
Flower Month
April - October
Height (meters)
20.0
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
native
Lifespan
perennial
Leaf Retention
Deciduous
Wetland Class
FACW
Wetland Coefficient of Conservatism
7
Field Characters
A small tree to 25 m tall with elliptic leaves, 15 cm long, with pale green upper surfaces and usually silver pubescence below. Its showy white flowers are fragrant and 5-7 cm across
Habitat
Wet woods, margins of swamps, bays, pocosins, savannas.
Plant Uses
The wood is soft, being used commercially for some minor products such as handles and novelty woodenware, and for core stock for lower-grade furniture.