It's the middle of June. The air is hot. The ground is dry. The first day of summer is still a week away. And for over a month we have had delightfully fragrant magnolia flowers perfuming the air.
Of the four flowering magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora) in the arboretum collection, one individual draws the most attention, for a few different reasons. First, it's located in a high-traffic area, near the Fitness Center, so a lot of people routinely walk by it. Second, this magnolia has low-hanging branches, making the iconic flowers conspicuous and easy to appreciate. Finally, this tree is over-topped with a very healthy species of vine, giving the tree a wild appearance. For these three reasons, we must make it our tree of the week, again.
Below, we have pictures of the pretty flowers and leaves, and we also have comparative photos illustrating the maintenance of the unruly rattan-vine.
 |
| This large, white flower was photographed on the mature magnolia near the Fitness Center. |
 |
| We have evidence of past glory: the petals are gone but the fruit remains. |
 |
| These large flower
buds assure us that the show isn't yet over. If you're on campus, be sure to look for them! |
 |
| The flowers always steal the show, but magnolias also have big, beautiful, waxy leaves. Here we have an old leaf and a new leaf. The old leaf is dark green and a little longer. The new leaf is pictured at the bottom, next to the ruler; it's smaller and more yellow-green. |
 |
| Underneath, the leaves are two different shades of brown. The younger leaf is pictured at the top: it's an even shade of light brown. The older leaf is a rusty, brown. Both leaves feel fuzzy. |
 |
| Zooming in on the older leaf we can see the fuzziness. |
Since 1997, this magnolia has served as a trellis for rattan-vine (Berchemia scandens),
and in recent years the vine has gotten a little out of hand. Last year
a decision was made to undercut the vine's competitive strength. We want to keep the vine but reduce stress on the magnolia. Since then, several different cuttings have been made, resulting in
noticeable changes. Below, we compare photos from today (6/14/18) to photos taken last year (5/15/17).
 |
| Last year, in May, the rattan-vines were thick and green, obscuring the magnolia trunk. Towards the top of the photo, you can see the vine wrapping around the trunk. |
 |
| Over the past year, several of the vines were cut, but not removed. The brown vines are dead. A couple of thick, green vines remain (for now). |
 |
| This photo was taken May 15, 2017, on a cloudless day. The vine and tree are indistinguishable, and together they are casting a large shadow. |
 |
| This photo was taken today, June 14, 2018, on a partly cloudy day. Cutting back the vine at the base of the tree reveals how successful the vine was: there is a large, brown mass of dead vines toward the top of the tree. |
 |
| This is another look at the tree from May 15, 2017. The tree is all green, and we can see the vine over-topping the magnolia. The trunk is difficult to identify, as it is encircled by both rattan-vine and dewberry. |
 |
| Today, we can see both dead and alive vines. There is a mass of dead rattan vines clinging to the limbs toward the top of the tree, and there are healthy vines growing over the top. In this photo, the trunk is more visible. The dewberry bush has been removed from around the trunk to make the living and dead rattan-vines more noticeable. |
You can find more photos of this particular tree
here.
