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| Another germination project is underway. One of our big-leaf magnolias successfully produced fruit this year, so we have seeds to plant! Big-leaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla) is native to Louisiana, and it's a tree with a very interesting appearance, but perhaps too delicate for widespread plantings. |
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The successfully reproductive big-leaf magnolia is pictured center. Its slight trunk is barely visible. We mainly see the large, floppy leaves extending from the tips of slender branches. Centenary alumnus Bonnie Bernard germinated this tree when she was a student in 2012; she or Dr. Leuck planted it in the arboretum the following year. That makes it 14 years old by the end of this year. We have seen flowers in previous years, but this is our first year to collect seeds. You can read more about it and see some older photos in this previous post. |
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| The red, egg-shaped fruit was spied during the summer. (photo: 8/22/26) |
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| Approximately a month later, we now have fully visible seeds. The seeds were positively ejecting themselves from the cone ("bombs away!") when the branch was jostled for this photo. |
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| The slender tree branches are flexible. A ladder wasn't needed to collect the fruit, but it was nice to have someone hold the leaves down so that the fruit could be snipped. |
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| These orangish-red (cinnabar? vermilion?) seeds are ready for dispersal. |
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| Magnolia macrophylla seeds collected September 2026 |
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| We collected 34 seeds, some of which are noticeably discolored. We aren't sure about the quality of the seeds collected―the dark spots and brownish coloration suggest that those seeds might be defective―but they will all be given a fair chance to germinate. |
