Location: Smug
In Bloom: May through July

Of all magnolias, Magnolia grandiflora, the Southern Magnolia is a star. Its specific epithet, grandiflora, is well deserved. Reaching up to 80 feet tall with waxy leaves 10 inches long and wonderfully scented flowers that can be a foot wide, it's an outstanding tree. It is not technically native north of the Carolina, but is an escapee into the tidewater of Virginia and Maryland's Chesapeake. It is one of the oldest flowering plants alive today, dating back 100 million years to the Cretaceous period. Beetles are attracted to the heavy scent of the magnolia flower and work their way into the bloom before it fully opens.  They are then trapped by the flower for several days, ensuring pollination. The most majestic Southern Magnolia specimens at Glenstone can be found near Tony Smith's Smug, 1973/2005.