a carpet of pink

a carpet of pink

petals beneath the Saucer

Magnolia's out flung arms

On the Spring Equinox, a magnificent Saucer Magnolia, covered with a froth of pink blossoms, puts on a grand display of the beauty of spring. The fragile flowers, blown by the wind, drift down like pink snow, carpeting the grass with pink petals. This ornamental tree, which originated in China, is also called Tulip Magnolia because of the vase-like shape of the flowers before they fully open. The strange spell of hot weather in early March has given the Magnolias in our area a rare chance to come into full bloom, and the air all around the tree is filled with the sweet scent. Many a spring, the blossoms open only to turn brown during a late frost.
          Scientists say that Magnolia blossoms are some of the most primitive of flowers. If you look at the center of the petals, you will see what looks like a red tassel. A closer look at this reproductive structure reveals many curled stigma. When fertilized, the stigma develop into an aggregate fruit like a blackberry, except Magnolia fruits are hard and dry rather than soft and juicy. The seed head looks quite exotic, like a turban with bright red beads popping out from a cone of curved pouches. The leaves, which begin to appear as the blossoms drop, are wide, pointed at the tip, deep green and quite leathery, turning a golden brown when they in turn fall, smothering anything that attempts to grow beneath the tree. Even so, one can see why the Magnolia is a favorite ornamental specimen tree.