With its imposing and elegant appearance, the Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) adorns city parks and squares, private gardens, botanical gardens, and even the Renaissance walls of Lucca. This evergreen ornamental tree has large, glossy leaves and can grow to 30 m tall. It flowers between May and July, producing solitary, fragrant blooms with large white petals. This is where the name ‘grandiflora’ (large-flower) comes from. The tree is named after Pierre Magnol, a French botanist who lived between 1600 and 1700.
Originally from the south-eastern United States, it was first introduced to Europe in France in the early 1700s. The date of its introduction to Italy is uncertain, but was probably around 1760 or 1787.
Pictured: specimens in Lucca.
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