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Our tree of the week has been featured on the blog several times in the past. This is a flowering magnolia that grows in a conspicuous location near the Fitness Center and Cline Hall. You can read about it here and here.
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This is a large, healthy flowering magnolia. Every year it produces numerous fragrant, creamy-white flowers that attract interesting pollinators.
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| But it is not a handsome tree. Its form is uneven, and the overgrowth of vine gives the tree an unkempt appearance, which might be deemed unfortunate considering the tree's prominent location. |
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Some say that the rattan vine is to blame for the magnolia's ugliness. Perhaps it is. But the weight and aggressiveness of the rattan vine also provide this flowering magnolia the opportunity to rise to the level of 'team player.' Supporting the rattan vine is no small task; not just any tree could host this vigorous, constricting, native vine.
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The rattan vine (Berchemia scandens) positively flourishes, intertwined with the trunk and limbs of the flowering magnolia, and this week it is flowering. Flowers are way up top and also near the ground, but you will need to go looking for them; they do not draw much attention on their own. In fact, these flowers were only noticed because a humming bird was squeaking while fluttering among them. The hummer didn't stick around long enough for us to observe its particular interest in the vine.
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Young rattan vines have a red hue. The fresh leaves are a rich green, blending in with the magnolia leaves, and the tiny flowers are a dull yellow-green.
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Rattan vine flowers are very small and appear in clusters. The flowers are so small that it is a little difficult to tell whether or not they are open.
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Leaves are also small. This leaf measures approximately 1½ inches. You might find leaves up to 3 inches in length. They are ovate, with wavy margins and distinctive veins.
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Underneath, they are light-green with pronounced veins.
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Rattan vine is native to Louisiana and can be found in the woods of Caddo parish. So, it's important to have a specimen on display in the arboretum. Professor Leuck experimented with another location, allowing the vine to climb a chittamwood (Bumelia lanuginosa), but the vine quickly overgrew the tree, so it was permanently removed to save the tree. Our flowering magnolia is robust enough to provide a much needed service for the arboretum!
For more information about rattan vine (Berchemia scandens) consult the following:
Louisiana Plant Identification and Interactive Virtual Tours (LSU AgCenter)
NC State University Extension
United States Department of Agriculture - zoom in on the distribution map
