Yesterday in Caddo parish we had sunny, 60-degree-weather. It was a pleasant day for taking pictures of our tree of the week, the evergreen sweetbay magnolia (
Magnolia virginiana var.
australis). This tree is very much like any other sweetbay, but it keeps its leaves during the winter months. So, in the middle of January, the dark green leaves remain on the tree.
There are two evergreen sweetbays in the arboretum collection. Ed Leuck acquired these two trees from John Mayronne at a meeting of the
Louisiana Native Plant Society. The meeting was held January 26, 1997, and the trees were planted the following November, making them over 20 years old. The photos below show that one of the two trees is significantly shorter than the other. The shorter tree is growing on the north side of its companion, which means that it gets less sun. This explains some of the difference in height. But another explanation is that the shorter tree was crushed by a falling
Pinus taeda on April Fool's Day in 2000. Amazingly, the sweetbay recovered, and both trees are in good condition today.
After such a beautiful day, the weather quickly changed. The rain started in the evening and transitioned from sleet to snow by midnight. Waking up this morning, we had a Louisiana-style winter wonderland. The rare event necessitated a photography expedition. So, we also have a few pictures of the evergreen sweetbays in the snow.
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| The grass isn't green anymore, and the old oak trees are looming overhead without any leaves on their branches. Meanwhile, this variety of sweetbay magnolia remains green, as if it's still summer. |
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| There is a narrow drainage channel, or "creek", that runs west to east through the arboretum. One sweetbay was planted on the north side of the creek, the other on the south side. Although the two trees are the same age, one tree is clearly shorter than the other, suggesting a competition for resources. In this photo, we are looking eastward. |
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The tree on the north side of the creek has a single trunk, while the other tree has a multi-trunk form.
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| The multi-trunk form is common for sweetbays. Surface roots aren't a problem with these two trees. |
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| The elliptic leaves are dark green in the middle of January. |
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| Sweetbay leaves are white underneath. On a sunny, windy day the leaves have a silvery appearance, making the tree identifiable from a distance. |
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After a beautiful, sunny, 60-degree day, the weather rapidly turned cold. Approximately 2 inches of snow fell during the night.
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| The weather was cold enough to allow the snow to accumulate. |
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| Snow remained on the evergreen leaves during the following day. |
For more information about this species consult the following:
LSU AgCenter
United States Department of Agriculture
Louisiana Plant Identification and Interactive Virtual Tours (LSU AgCenter)
University of Florida IFAS Extension
NC State Extension
