Is the Magnolia Tree a Conifer or a Broadleaf?
The scent of honeysuckle and the sight of magnolia blossoms are hallmarks of the South, where magnolia trees dot the landscape. Magnolias are broadleaf and often evergreen, but not coniferous -- though these terms may prove confusing. Does this Spark an idea?
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About Magnolias
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With large, beautiful flowers in pink or white, magnolia trees are an ancient and diverse member of the magnoliaceae family. There are approximately 80 different native species of magnolia, and many more hybrid versions, native to the United States, Central America, the West Indies, the rest of North America, and parts of Asia. Magnolias are an ancient genus, evolving before bees -- and sometimes theorized to be the ancestor of most flowering plants.
Coniferous (Gymnosperm) or Broadleaf (Angiosperm)
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Magnolias boast pink or white flowers. By definition, conifers -- also called coniferous trees -- bear cones; the correct term is gymnosperm, meaning "naked seed." Pine trees, fir, spruce, redwood and bald cypress are good examples of conifers. While the cone-shaped center of magnolia blossoms may call to mind the term conifer, it is instead a fruit. As the USDA explains, magnolia fruits have "changed little over millions of years." While they are "some of the most primitive of all flowering plants," since the seeds are enclosed in the fruit, they "must be classified as angiosperms," also known as broadleaf.
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Evergreen or Deciduous
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The cone-shaped center is a fruit, not a conifer's cone. Many people mentally equate evergreens with conifers -- and conifers are indeed evergreen. However, these terms are not interchangeable. Evergreens keep their leaves through the winter, while deciduous trees periodically shed leaves. Magnolias can be either evergreen or deciduous, as the Arbor Day Foundation explains.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images pink magnolia closeup image by robert mobley from Fotolia.com magnolia image by Artyom Yefimov from Fotolia.com
