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Bigleaf Magnolia

Magnolia macrophylla

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in moist forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

69
Strong

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

Profile 100%

Height
30–40 feet
Spread
30–40 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 30 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
May to June
Fruiting season
July to August

Recorded in 3 Arkansas counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

16CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR

Genus host records with ranges including AR · Magnolia

  • Callosamia prometheaPromethea Moth
  • Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Callosamia anguliferaTulip-Tree Silkmoth
  • Epimecis hortariaTulip-Tree Beauty
  • Episimus tyriusMaple Tip Borer
  • Hypercompe scriboniaGiant Leopard Moth, Great Leopard Moth
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Laetilia coccidivoraScale-Feeding Snout
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
Show all 16
  • Morrisonia latexFluid Arches, Fluid Mamestra
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Papilio polyxenesBlack Swallowtail, Celery Caterpillar, Fennel Worm, Desert Black Swallowtail, Parsnip Swallowtail
  • Papilio troilusSpicebush Swallowtail
  • Paralobesia cyclopianaSweetbay Seedpod Moth
  • Prolimacodes badiaSkiff Moth, Skiff Caterpillar
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

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Magnoliaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–8b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Cream, purple or white
Fruit begins
July
Fruit ends
August
Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Arkansas rankS1
Global rankG4
AR statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources