Michigan State University Extension
Ornamental Plants plus Version 2.0 - 00000928
01/01/98
Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8 Height: 25 ft Spread: 25 ft Form: rounded Type: deciduous tree Annual Growth Rate: 12 to 18 inches Flowers: Pink
Comments: Transplant Saucer Magnolia in the spring, just as growth begins. Large, fuzzy flower buds are carried through the winter at the tips of the branches. They open in early spring to produce large, white flowers with the backs or bottoms of petals colored pink. The flower display is often cut short or destroyed by frost.
Cultivars: Some of the cultivars are Gresham Hybrids
involving M. X soulangiana and M. X veitchii.
'Alba Superba' - Large, white flowers with a touch of
pale purple on the outside.
'Alexandrina' - The flowers are larger than the species
and are purplish on the outside but white inside.
'Coates' - Saucer-shaped lavender flowers.
'Jon Jon' - (Gresham Hybrid) - Large white flowers that
are pink on the outside, Zone 6.
'Lennei Alba' - Large white flowers are produced on
plants 20 feet tall.
'Lilliputian' - The 15-foot tall plants produce flowers
that are white inside and pink outside.
'Pink Goblet' - (Gresham Hybrid) - Large, cup-shaped,
pink flowers, Zone 6.
'Rustica Rubra' - The large flowers are rose-red on the
outside but white inside.
'Verbanica' - A late flowering selection that may avoid
late frosts. The flowers are pink on the outside but
white inside.
References for Cultivars: J. Frank Schmidt and Son 1995, Monrovia Nursery Company 1997, Weston Nurseries 1997, Princeton Nurseries 1997, Wayside Gardens 1996, Sheridan Nurseries 1997.