Information on Magnolia Tree Leaves
The magnolia is a species of tree that grows mostly in the southern United States. The most prominent is the southern magnolia, a popular shade and landscaping tree. The leaves of the magnolia differ from one type to the next. The shape, colors and size of these leaves are the most noticeable features when discussing various kinds of magnolias. The leaves also have some things in common among all the magnolias. Does this Spark an idea?
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Arrangement
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The leaves of a magnolia species are what are known in botany as being alternate. This means that just one single leaf will grow at each node on a twig. The magnolia leaves on a twig exist with one on one side of it and another a bit farther up on the other side of the twig. All magnolia species have leaves with short stems
Time Frame
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Some species are deciduous, meaning the leaves fall off in the autumn months and grow back in the warm spring months. Others are evergreen. The southern magnolia, one of the tallest species, keeps its leaves year round. New ones grow in to replace old ones that die and fall off. The sweetbay magnolias that grow in the northern states such as New Jersey are deciduous. The sweetbay trees that thrive in the Deep South are evergreen. The bigleaf magnolia loses its leaves, which take a long while to finally decompose beneath the tree.
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Color
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Magnolia leaves have various shades of colors throughout the assorted species. The southern magnolia has a glossy green hue on the top of the leaf and a brownish tint on the bottom. The cucumbertree, a type of magnolia, is greenish-yellow above and paler on the bottom. Others, such as the pyramid magnolia, are green on both sides of the leaf.
Size
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There is a great array of sizes among magnolia leaves. The largest belong to the bigleaf magnolia. These can attain lengths of 30 inches and be 10 inches wide. The southern magnolia has leaves that are 5 to 10 inches long and 2 or 3 inches in width. The Fraser magnolia has a 12-inch-long leaf that can be 7 inches wide.
Shape
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All magnolia leaves are elongated. Some have a rounded oval look. Others taper at the ends and come to a point. Where the leaf attaches to the stem can be considerably narrower than its other end. This is the case with the umbrella magnolia. The southern magnolia has leaves that are more symmetrical in shape. They are the same width at both ends.
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