Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/27

MAGNOLIA 19 have three petal-like sepals, which fall early, and six to twelve petals in two to four series ; the numerous stamens are in many series upon base of the receptacle, which is prolonged to the centre of the flower ; the anthers are ar, longer than the filaments, and open in- cn-d ; the pistils are numerous, consisting of one-celled, two-ovuled ovary, pointed with a ort style ; they are densely crowded upon e upper part of the receptacle ; in maturirig, e ovaries become red, fleshy, and coalesce to rm a compound cone-like fruit ; when ripe each carpel (ovary) opens and liberates the two seeds, which have a fleshy bright red coat, and are for a while suspended by extensile cob- webby threads, which the microscope shows to be uncoiled spiral vessels. Bitter and some- what aromatic properties pervade the genus, and the flowers of some species are highly fra- grant. Our most widely distributed species is the small or laurel magnolia, or sweet bay (J/. glaued), growing in swamps from Cape Ann, Mass., to Florida, usually not far inland ; in its northern localities it is only a shrub or low tree with numerous stems from the same root, and is deciduous ; but in some of the southern states it grows 50 ft. or more high and becomes an evergreen. The bark of the young shoots is green, and the oblong leaves are dark green above and pale or glaucous beneath ; the globular white flowers are about 2 in. across and delightfully fragrant. The fruit is 2 in. long. The bark of the root, the cones, and the seeds, made into a tincture with spirits, are popularly used in some parts of the country as a remedy in rheumatism, and have also been successful in diseases of a typhoid character in the hands of physicians. In the southern states, where the tree grows sufficiently large, the wood has been used for finishing the interiors of houses, for furniture, and similar work ; it is of a mahogany color and takes a good polish. The terminal shoots, bearing a flower and a cluster of leaves, are sold in large numbers in the streets of New York and other^cities. Like many other plants which grow naturally in swamps, the small magnolia flourishes when transferred to the drier soil of the garden, and may be trained to form a perfectly symmetrical little tree. It is surpri:?mg that a native plant of such great merit should be so seldom seen in cultivation ; there is a popular impression that it is difficult to manage, which is no doubt due to the fact that large numbers of plants, pulled up rudely from the swamp, are each year sold in cities by itinerant vendors ; such plants when set out are sure to die. All of the magnolias are dif- ficult to transplant from their native localities, but trees raised from the seed in nurseries, and several times transplanted, are quite sure to succeed. The manner of propagating the spe- cies in general will be found below. This spe- cies blooms when only 4 or 5 ft. high ; it has produced several garden forms, which differ from the original in the size and shape of their ] leaves ; one of these, Thompson's magnolia (M. Thompsoniand), is said to be a hybrid between M. glauca and some other, but it is apparently only a large-leaved variety ; it is valuable on account of its fine foliage and long continued bloom. The next northernmost species, known I Laurel Magnolia (M. glauca). as the cucumber tree (M. acuminata), is found from western New York westward to Illinois and southward to Georgia, and with one ex- ception is the largest of all our magnolias, reaching from 60 to 90 ft. ; it grows rapidly, assumes a fine shape, and its abundant foliage renders it valuable as an ornamental or shade tree ; the leaves are thin, 5 to 10 in. long, ob- long, pointed, and slightly downy beneath. In this species the flowers add nothing to the beauty of the tree ; they are bell-shaped, about 3 in. broad, and consist of twisted or straggling glaucous green petals which are tinged with yellow ; the fruit, which is about 3 in. long, resembles when young a small cucumber; the wood is like that of the tulip tree, but is less valuable, and with builders ranks in usefulness with that of the linden ; it is somewhat used for the inside work of houses; in the western states it is valued above all other woods for making pumps and for pipes for conveying water. The great-leaved magnolia (M. ma- cropTiylla) is a still more southern species, S. E. Kentucky being its northernmost locality, whence it extends to Georgia and Florida, but is rare everywhere ; it grows to the height of 30 or 40 ft., its trunk and branches clothed with a white bark. This species is the most remarkable in the genus for the size of its leaves and flowers ; the ovate-oblong leaves are narrow and heart-shaped at the base and from 2 to 31 ft. long ; the petals are 6 in. long, and the open, bell-shaped flower 8 or 10 in. across, pure white, with a purple spot at the base of each petal, and somewhat fragrant ; fruit ovate, It is quite hardy in New York and in some parts of Xew England, and is worthy of being