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Southern Magnolia

Magnolia grandiflora

Found in maritime forests and thickets; floodplain and bottomland forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
60–80 feet
Spread
30–50 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist
See native alternatives

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Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • Live Oak
    Quercus virginiana

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow or green.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

  • Loblolly Pine
    Pinus taeda

    Sun: Full sun. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow, purple or red.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

  • Eastern White Pine
    Pinus strobus

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow, green, inconspicuous or red.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

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At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Evergreen
Bloom
April to June
Fruiting season
September to October

Recorded in 45 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 2

Maritime forests and thickets

Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 95 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

24CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · 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 24
  • 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
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist 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 6a–10b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Cream or white
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
October

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Evergreen Magnolia

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources