Students for Stewardship The Cork Board
← Back to the library

Loebner Magnolia

Magnolia (mag-NO-lee-ah LEB-ner-ee)

Family: Magnoliaceae Non-native Understory (15-40 ft)

This deciduous magnolia tree is a hybrid from a cross between Magnolia kobus and Magnolia stellata . It is a member of the magnolia family (Magnoliaceae). The Loebner magnolia is vigorous and flowers at an early age. It is a smaller magnolia at 20 to 30 feet, about as wide, and has a round shape. White blooms appear in February to March. This tree is sometimes grown in a multi-trunked shrub form. An interesting feature is that a bruised stem emits a sweet fragrance. As with other magnolias, wildlife may use it as cover both within the dense branches and underneath on the ground. It can be grown in full sun or at the edge of a woodland area with partial shade. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Scale are occasional pests. Late frosts in the spring can damage flower buds. More information on Magnolia .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 49 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 2 - Understory (15-40 ft) Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Often confused with Magnolia kobus Magnolia stellata Magnolia x soulangeana

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Perennial; Tree
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 20 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in. | Width: 20 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Obovate
Leaf size
3-6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves are alternate, simple, narrow obovate, acute, rounded, dark green, and grow up to 6" long. They can turn a yellow-brown color in the fall before dropping.
Fall color
Brown/Copper; Insignificant
Flower color
White
Flower value
Fragrant
Flower size
3-6 inches
Flower detail
Flowers are single and white 3" long and 1" wide appearing in the winter and early spring. Cultivars may have white blooms tinged with shades of pink or lilac-pink. They are fragrant, 5" in diameter, and have 9-15 spatulate tepals (outer part of flower).
Bloom time
Spring; Winter
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Follicle
Fruit detail
Fruits are a cone-like aggregate of follicles.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Green; Purple/Lavender
Stem detail
Stems are slender, brown to purple to green, are dotted with elliptical-oval, and they have gray vertical lenticels. Sweet fragrance comes from bruised stems.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Asia, Eastern U.S.
Wildlife value
Used as cover by wildlife.
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Follicle
Landscape Use
Landscape theme
Winter Garden
Design feature
Accent; Border; Flowering Tree; Small Tree
Garden tags
#deciduous #fantz #white flowers #small tree #fragrant stems #spring flowers #shrub #pink flowers #fragrant flowers #deciduous tree #winter interest #wildlife friendly #HS304 #winter cover
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Magnolia Scale; Yellow Poplar Weevil
Disease problems
Sooty Molds
Propagation
Stem Cutting

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.