Magnolia acuminata

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Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Family:MAGNOLIACEAE
Species:Magnolia acuminata (L.) L.
Common Name:Cucumber Magnolia; Cucumber Tree; Yellow Magnolia
Habitat:**
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Tree
Duration:Perennial
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:MAAC
Plant Notes:Cucumber Magnolia is a native deciduous tree in the Magnolia family (Magnoliaceae). It can be found throughout most of Alabama. Cucumber Magnolia grows in rich hardwood forests, along the banks of streams, in steepheads and ravines, and on steep slopes. It is often a large tree reaching 100 feet in height. The bark is smooth, thin, and reddish brown on young twigs. On older limbs and the trunk, it is deeply furrowed and dark grayish brown in color. Leaves are alternate, deciduous, ovate to elliptic in outline, and entire. Leaf bases are cuneate to rounded, and the leaves are broadest near the middle. They are dark green and glabrous above and pale green to whitish on the lower surface. The lower surface of the leaf may be pubescent to nearly glabrous. The leaves turn bright yellow before falling in the Autumn. Flowers are produced before or with the leaves at the ends of branches. Flowers have several yellow-orange to greenish-yellow tepals and numerous stamens and pistils. The flowers are slightly fragrant. The fruit is a cone-like aggregate of follicles. The fruit often becomes red as the seed mature. The seed are covered in a red fleshy aril and are consumed by various birds and small mammals. Cucumber Magnolia is available from some native plant nurseries. It prefers a moist, organic rich soil in full sun to partial shade. It is slow growing and intolerant of pollution, drought, and flooding. It is one of the few Magnolia species with yellow flowers, and has been used by horticulturists to produce many hybrids. It is a tetraploid and the only American species in the subgenus Yulania. The soft, straight-grained wood is similar to yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) and is often sold as such.—A. Diamond.
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Native
References:**
Specimen: View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyMAGNOLIACEAE - Magnolia family
Genus Magnolia
Species Magnolia acuminata (L.) L. - Cucumber Magnolia; Cucumber Tree; Yellow Magnolia

Citation

Citation Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10. 2: 1082. 1759.
Basionym: Magnolia virginiana var. acuminata L. 1753.
Type: USA: SOUTH CAROLINA: Without data (lectotype: Catesby, Nat. Hist. Carolina 2: t. 15[excl. open flower]. 1747). Lectotypified by Dandy, Sloane Herb. 112. 1958.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Kobus acuminata Kobus acuminata (Linnaeus) Nieuwland, Amer. Midl. Naturalist 3: 297. 1914.Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus 1759; Magnolia virginiana Linnaeus, var. acuminata Linnaeus 1753. 
Magnolia acuminata subsp. cordata Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus, subsp. cordata (Michaux) E. Murray, Kalmia 12: 26. 1982.Magnolia cordata Michaux 1803. 
Magnolia acuminata subsp. ozarkensis Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus, subsp. ozarkensis (Ashe) E. Murray, Kalmia 13: 9. 1983.Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus, var. ozarkensis Ashe 1926. 
Magnolia acuminata var. alabamensis Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus, var. alabamensis Ashe, Torreya 31: 37. 1931. ALABAMA
Magnolia acuminata var. aurea Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus. var. aurea (Ashe) Ashe, J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 34: 137. 1918.Tulipastrum acuminatum (Linnaeus) Small, var. aureum Ashe 1917. 
Magnolia acuminata var. ludoviciana Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus, var. ludoviciana Sargent, Bot. Gaz. 67: 232. 1919. LOUISIANA: West Feliciana Par.: Dessert Plantation near Catalpa, 12 Apr 1916, Cocks & Sargent s.n. (lectotype: A). Lectotypified by Hardin, J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 70: 305. 1954.
Magnolia acuminata var. ozarkensis Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus, var. ozarkensis Ashe, J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 41: 269. 1926. ARKANSAS: Johnson Co.: Piney Creek near Fort Douglas, 7 May 1924, Ashe 7 (lectotype: NY). Lectotypified by Hardin, J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 70: 307. 1954.
Magnolia acuminata var. subcordata Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus, var. subcordata (Spach) Dandy, in S. C. Tucker, Amer. J. Bot. 51: 1056. 1964.Tulipastrum americanum Spach, var. subcordatum Spach 1839; Magnolia cordata Michaux 1803. 
Magnolia cordata Magnolia cordata Michaux, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 328. 1803. "Carolinae superioris et Georgiae"
Magnolia virginiana var. acuminata Magnolia virginiana Linnaeus, var. acuminata Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 536. 1753. SOUTH CAROLINA: Without data (lectotype: Catesby, Nat. Hist. Carolina 2: t. 15[excl. open flower]. 1747). Lectotypified by Dandy, Sloane Herb. 112. 1958.
Magnolia acuminata var. cordata Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus, var. cordata (Michaux) Seringe, Fl. Jard. 3: 229. 1849, nom. illegit.Tulipastrum americanum Spach, var. subcordatum Spach 1839; Magnolia cordata Michaux 1803. 
Tulipastrum acuminatum var. aureum Tulipastrum acuminatum (Linnaeus) Small, var. aureum Ashe, Bull. Charleston Mus. 13: 28. 1917.  
Tulipastrum acuminatum var. flavum Tulipastrum acuminatum (Linnaeus) Small, var. flavum Small, Man. S.E. Fl. 534. 1933.  
Tulipastrum acuminatum var. ludovicianum Tulipastrum acuminatum (Linnaeus) Small, var. ludovicianum (Sargent) Ashe, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 55: 464. 1928.Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus, var. ludoviciana Sargent 1919. 
Tulipastrum acuminatum var. ozarkense Tulipastrum acuminatum (Linnaeus) Small, var. ozarkense (Ashe) Ashe, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 55: 464. 1928.Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus, var. ozarkensis Ashe 1926. 
Tulipastrum americanum Tulipastrum americanum Spach, Hist. Nat. Vég. 7: 483. 1839, nom. illegit. Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus 1759; Magnolia virginiana Linnaeus, var. acuminata Linnaeus 1753.  
Tulipastrum americanum var. subcordatum Tulipastrum americanum Spach, var. subcordatum Spach, Hist. Nat. Vég. 7: 483. 1839.Magnolia cordata Michaux 1803. 
Tulipastrum americanum var. vulgare Tulipastrum americanum Spach, var. vulgare Spach, Hist. Nat. Vég. 7: 483. 1839, nom. inadmiss.Tulipastrum americanum Spach 1839, nom. illegit.; Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus 1759; Magnolia virginiana Linnaeus, var. acuminata Linnaeus 1753. 
Tulipastrum acuminatum Tulipastrum acuminatum (Linnaeus) Small, Fl. S.E. U.S. 451, 1331. 1903.Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus 1759; Magnolia virginiana Linnaeus, var. acuminata Linnaeus 1753. 
Tulipastrum cordatum Tulipastrum cordatum (Michaux) Small, Fl. S.E. U.S. 451, 1331. 1903.Magnolia cordata Michaux 1803. 

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Cherokee, Choctaw, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, DeKalb, Escambia, Etowah, Fayette, Hale, Jackson, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Pickens, Pike, Sumter, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, Winston

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AUA, JSU, SAMF, TROY, UNA, UNAF, USAM, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1881 - 2019

Barcode / Accession No.
County
Coll. Date
Collector &
Collection No.
Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used
Image
USAM000008404 Baldwin 15 May 1976 LeLong, Michel G.
9226		 USAM
Magnolia cordata Michaux
UWAL0043368 Baldwin 10 Nov 2000 Larsen, Harry S.
612		 UWAL
Magnolia acuminata (L.) L.
UWAL0043367 Baldwin 26 Jun 2001 Larsen, Harry S.
884		 UWAL
Magnolia acuminata (L.) L.
UNA00024344 Baldwin s.d. Mohr, Charles
s.n.		 UNA
Magnolia acuminata (L.) L.
AUA_ACC_44583 Barbour 11 Oct 1975 WALLACE, CHIP
58		 AUA
MAGNOLIA ACUMINATA (L.) L.
UNA00047106 Barbour 10 Jun 1998 MacDonald, John R.
11428		 UNA
Magnolia acuminata (L.) L.
JSU131270 Bibb 13 May 1983 Whetstone, R. David
13414		 JSU
Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus var. subcordata (Spach) Dandy
AUA_ACC_40807 Bibb 13 May 1983 WHETSTONE, R.DAVID
13414		 AUA
MAGNOLIA ACUMINATA (L.) L.
JSU131269 Bibb 13 May 1983 Wilborn, Dennis H.
061		 JSU
Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus var. subcordata (Spach) Dandy
JSU131268 Bibb 13 May 1983 Nixon, Christopher F.
328		 JSU
Magnolia acuminata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus var. subcordata (Spach) Dandy
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