M. glaùca.
2. Magnòlia glaùca, L. (Sweet-Bay. Swamp-Magnolia.) Leaves quite thick, oblong-oval, obtuse, smooth and glossy above, white or rusty pubescent beneath; evergreen in the Southern States. Leaf-buds silky. Flowers globular, white, and very fragrant. June to August. Fruit about 1½ in. long, ripe in autumn. Shrub, 4 to 20 ft. high, in the swamps of the Atlantic States from Massachusetts southward. Slender tree, 15 to 30 ft. high, when cultivated in good damp soil.
M. acuminàta.
3. Magnòlia acuminàta, L. (Cucumber-tree.) Leaves thin, green above, paler beneath, oblong, usually pointed at both ends, 5 to 10 in. long. Leaf-buds silky. Flowers pale yellowish-green, 3 in. wide, late in spring. Fruit irregular-oblong (2 to 3 in. long), rose-colored when ripe, with a few hard, bony, black seeds, coated with red pulp, ripe in autumn. Large (50 to 90 ft.) noble forest tree, wild in western New York and southward. Wood rather soft, yellowish-white, quite durable, and extensively used for pump logs. Occasionally cultivated; fine for avenues.
M. cordàta.
4. Magnòlia cordàta, Michx. (Yellow Cucumber-tree.) Leaves broadly ovate or oval, rarely cordate at base, smooth above, white-downy beneath, 4 to 6 in. long. Flowers lemon-yellow slightly streaked with red. June. Fruit nearly 3 in. long, red when ripe in autumn. A rather small, broad-headed tree (20 to 50 ft.), wild in the Southern States, but hardy as far north as Boston; not often cultivated. Probably an upland variety of the preceding.
M. macrophýlla.