2025 Plant of the Year, Honorable Mention

Beetles are the primary pollinators of the Magnolia fraseri, but bees and flies also visit the flowers. The flowers and the seedheads, a large cone-like structure of follicles that dangle bright red “seeds,” are typical of magnolias, with flowers blooming in late spring (May) and fruits ripe by late summer into fall (August through September). The tree is an important food source for wildlife, sprouts are often browsed, and the fruit attracts birds. Occasionally, wildlife use larger trees as den trees. The magnolia often grows on steep sites, preventing erosion. 

The most striking features of the Magnolia fraseri are its 16 to 24-inch long alternate leaves that are borne in whorls at branch tips, and its fragrant, creamy- or yellowish-white flowers that are eight to 10 inches wide. This species is often planted for its coarse foliage and large flowers.

Magnolia fraseri’s native environment is the cove forests and other moist mountain habitats of the southern Appalachian. From West Virginia and Virginia through Kentucky and Tennessee, into the Carolinas and Georgia, Magnolia fraseri  is often grown in suburban and even urban landscapes for its large, coarse foliage, and beautiful fragrant flowers. It is considered both a good lawn and woodland tree.