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Sweetbay Magnolia

Magnolia virginiana

72
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
10–35 feet
Spread
10–35 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 22.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Semi-evergreen or evergreen
Bloom
Summer
Fruiting season
Summer to winter

Recorded in 56 Alabama counties.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 171 animals.

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

25CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Magnolia

  • Callosamia prometheaPromethea Moth
  • Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Callosamia anguliferaTulip-Tree Silkmoth
  • Callosamia securiferaSweetbay Silkmoth, Carolina Silk Moth
  • Cameraria hamadryadellaSolitary Oak Leafminer Moth
  • Epimecis hortariaTulip-Tree Beauty
  • Episimus tyriusMaple Tip Borer
  • Euzophera ostricolorellaTulip-Tree Borer, Root Collar borer
  • Hypercompe scriboniaGiant Leopard Moth, Great Leopard Moth
Show all 25
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Laetilia coccidivoraScale-Feeding Snout
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Morrisonia latexFluid Arches, Fluid Mamestra
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Papilio palamedesPalamedes Swallowtail
  • Papilio polyxenesBlack Swallowtail, Celery Caterpillar, Fennel Worm, Desert Black Swallowtail, Parsnip Swallowtail
  • Papilio troilusSpicebush Swallowtail
  • Paralobesia cyclopianaSweetbay Seedpod Moth
  • Paralobesia liriodendranaTulip-Tree Leaftier
  • Phyllocnistis liriodendronellaMagnolia Serpentine Leafminer
  • Prolimacodes badiaSkiff Moth, Skiff Caterpillar
  • Archips magnoliana
  • Paralobesia magnoliana
  • Paralobesia parsaura
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
7BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Magnolia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Magnolia

  • Campephilus principalisIvory-billed Woodpecker
  • Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

1AntsRecorded seed interactions
  • Pogonomyrmex badius

Pogonomyrmex badius: Seed predation.

No records yet · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Magnoliaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–10b
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Cream or white
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Dark green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Winter

What its natural habitat tells you

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Flower color · “Cream or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
  • Foliage color · “Dark green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit ends · “Winter” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 5a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Height · “10–35 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
  • Leaves · “Semi-evergreen or evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
  • primary_flower_color · “white” · USDA PLANTS
  • Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
  • Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Spread · “10–35 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources