Do Magnolia Trees Have to Have a Male to Bloom?

A magnolia flower recalls an idyllic South

A symbol of the romantic South, magnolia comprises about 80 species of trees and large shrubs. Magnolias are available in temperate and tropical varieties and many sizes, offering choices for a range of landscapes. Their fragrant flowers emerge in white, pink, purple, green and yellow. Flowers are followed by red or pink fruits with red, orange or pink seeds that hang from the fruit by a thin strand.

Dioecious Plants

Most flowers have both stamens, the male sexual organ, and a pistil, the female sexual organ. Some trees only have flowers that are either male or female. These are called dioecious plants. For fruits and seeds to form on dioecious trees, male and female plants must be grown near each other for pollination to occur.

Magnolia Trees

A mature magnolia tree

Magnolia trees have "perfect" flowers, which means that each flower has both male and female organs. There is no need to plant magnolia trees near each other for the flowers to form seeds. The only spacing the grower needs to worry about is the space available for a tree or shrub, as the sizes of magnolias range from small to massive. Major considerations in planting magnolias include having soil that is rich, acidic (pH 5.0 to 6.5) and well-draining, and a planting location that receives full sun or partial shade. The University of Minnesota Extension Service recommends starting a magnolia as a container-grown plant because magnolia roots do not tolerate balling or bare-rooting as well as many other trees do.

Propagation

Magnolias are propagated, or started, by several different methods: seed, cutting, layering, grafting and micropropagation of tissue culture. According to Texas A&M University Aggie Horticulture, cutting plants is the preferred method over planting seedlings because cuttings begin to flower the first year or two after propagation. Seedlings can take 15 to 20 years to bloom.

Seeds

Magnolias can be grown from seed, but the tree might differ from the mother plant in crown structure, size, vigor, and flower and foliage characteristics, as well as take many years to bloom Magnolia fruits are 2 to 6 inches long and ripen late summer to late fall. Promptly harvest fruits when seeds are mature. Seeds should be macerated -- or softened -- in water to remove the seed coat and fleshy pulp. Cleaned seeds may be sown right away. According to the University of Florida Extension, germination might be improved by storing seeds at 40 degrees Fahrenheit for two to four months. Stored seeds may be kept for several years in sealed containers at 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

References

• University of Florida IFAS Extension: Magnolias: Gary W. Knox
• Ohio State University Extension: Sexes in Ornamental Plants; T. Davis Sydnor
• Clemson Cooperative Extension: Magnolia; D. Shaughnessy and B. Polomsk
• University of Minnesota Extension Service: Magnolias for Minnesota; John Eustice; 2004
• Aggie Horticulture: Southern Magnolia; William C. Welch

Resources

• North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension Service: Espalier
• University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service: Trees to Plant in Container or Wells