About the Magnolia Flower

Magnolias (Magnolia spp.) Are typical flowering trees located in landscapes through U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9, depending on cultivar. The blossoms of the East Asian and North American natives appear to be butterflies ready to take to the atmosphere, lending an easy and free feeling to homes and gardens.

Primitive Flowers

Magnolia fossils have been discovered dating to between 36 and 58 million decades back, which makes this family among the earliest angiosperms still living. They’ve altered little since their early beginnings, their archaic blossoms giving science living examples of early flowers. This historical genus has managed to endure major geological change on the planet, resulting in their wide distribution.

Anatomy of Magnolia Flowers

Unlike modern flowers, magnolia flowers lack a different petal or sepal, instead posture a difficult mixture of both called tepals that open like petals. The stamens are spirally arranged at the base of the fascia, under the pistils. Once pollination has taken place, these pollen-producing bodies have been shed, revealing the cone-like ovary where seeds will form.

Pollination

Magnolias evolved before bees, relying on beetles to pollinate their flowers. Beetles are attracted from the pungent scent of the magnolia, where rather than nectar, high-protein pollen is carefully organized to ensure that beetles will crawl across both the male and female areas of the flower. The tepals of the magnolia flower are hard to prevent significant damage from beetles who might decide to chewover.

Seed-Bearing Cones

When pollination is successful, the magnolia blossom’s cone-like receptacle shields developing seeds till they erupt in their unique follicles and tumble out, often in the winter. These brightly colored seeds remain temporarily attached to the cone by threadlike stalks known as funiculli. Magnolia seeds typically require stratification when planted by craftsmen. In a state of nature they are shed as the funiculli dry outside.

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