Magnolia Tree Meaning

Some species of the magnolia tree are evergreen trees, meaning their leaves do not change or fall during winter months. Because of this trait, the meaning of magnolia trees is sometimes said to be “perseverance.” Magnolia trees also have persevered through time. According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, fossil records of magnolia trees date back nearly 100 million years.

According to the Archdiocese of New Orleans in Louisiana, whose coat of arms includes flowers from a magnolia tree, the meaning of magnolia might be linked the Christian Trinity. The three magnolia flowers on the coat of arms are each shaped like a triangle to represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Because magnolia trees are so common in the Southern United States, the magnolia's appearance on this coat of arms may be said to represent the presence of the Trinity in the American South.

The American species of magnolia called Magnolia grandiflora was designated the state tree of Mississippi in 1952. The magnolia tree was chosen for this symbol because the magnolia tree is so common in the state of Mississippi. Magnolia flowers are also the state flower of Mississippi, as well as the state flower of neighboring Louisiana.

The magnolia tree, or “mokran,” has great meaning in North Korea, where the magnolia flower is the national flower of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. According to tradition, President Kim Il Sung chose the magnolia because of his childhood fondness for the flower. In North Korea, the magnolia tree symbolically represents the sturdiness of the Korean people, and the magnolia flower represents their beauty. The species of magnolia tree native to Korea is the Magnolia sieboldii.

In Japan, each flower has a specific meaning in a system called Hanakotoba. Within this system, the meaning of magnolia is “love of nature.” It is appropriate to send someone magnolia blossoms if they are a nature lover or if they have a newborn child. The bark of magnolia trees is an important ingredient in certain traditional Japanese herbal remedies, so the magnolia tree is also associated with heath and healing.