Magnolia Cultivars A

'Aashild Kalleberg'

See Magnolia × wieseneri ‘Aashild Kalleberg’.

'Advance'

Flowers goblet-shaped, before the leaves; tepals 9, c. 10 × 9 cm, lilac-purple outside, pale pink inside. A small, upright tree selected by Vance Hooper, then of Duncan & Davies, New Zealand, 1995.

Magnolia 'Advance' (24th April 2021). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

A young specimen of Magnolia 'Advance' (18th April 2016). Image Christophe Crock.

'Alba Superba'

See Magnolia × soulangeana ‘Alba Superba’.

'Albatross'

Flowers precocious, to 30 cm across, cup-shaped but later splaying open; tepals 9–12, broad, white with a hint of pink or green at the base; stamens with crimson anthers and pink filaments. Leaves obovate to elliptic, 17–20 × 7–10 cm, green above, greyish-puberulent beneath. An upright small tree. It originated in Cornwall, a seedling raised at Trewithen in 1970 and given to Lanhydrock, where the original measured 8 m × 146 cm in 2016 (The Tree Register 2022). The seed parent would almost certainly have been one of the Lushan hybrid seedlings (see under M. cylindrica). The name reflects the size and poise of the white flowers which appear to ‘float’ on its branches.

Magnolia 'Albatross' (Caerhays Castle, 28th March 2014). Image Christophe Crock.

Magnolia 'Albatross' (Lanhydrock, 27th March 2014). Image Christophe Crock.

Magnolia 'Albatross' (Lanhydrock, 27th March 2014). Image Christophe Crock.

'Alex'

Flowers precocious (April in S England), resembling M. × soulangeana in shape, light pink ageing white. A very floriferous small, upright tree raised by Maurice Foster, Kent, before 2018 (Millais Nurseries 2022; Frank P Matthews 2022).

Magnolia 'Alex' (6th April 2011). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Magnolia 'Alex' (6th April 2011). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

'Alexandrina'

See Magnolia × soulangeana ‘Alexandrina’.

'Allspice'

See Magnolia × foggii ‘Allspice’.

ALTA^®

See Magnolia grandiflora ‘TMGH’.

'Amabilis'

See Magnolia × soulangeana ‘Amabilis’.

'Amber'

See Magnolia × brooklynensis ‘Amber’.

'Ambrose Congreve'

See Magnolia campbellii ‘Ambrose Congreve’.

'Ambrosia'

See Magnolia × brooklynensis ‘Ambrosia’.

'Angustifolia'

See Magnolia grandiflora ‘Angustifolia’.

'Anilou'

Flowers emerging with the leaves, erect, persisting for several weeks; tepals yellow-green maturing deep yellow, paler inside, broadly obovate, ~11 × 6 cm. A small, upright tree raised by August Kehr; grown at Arboretum Wespelaar and named by Philippe de Spoelberch in memory of his sister.

Magnolia 'Anilou' (26th April 2018). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Magnolia 'Anilou' (9th May 2013). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Magnolia 'Anilou', an upright tree flowering with the leaves (26th April 2018). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Magnolia 'Anilou' colouring in autumn (1st November 2004). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

'Anita Figlar'

See Magnolia insignis ‘Anita Figlar’.

'Ann'

Flowers erect, precocious and early, to 10 cm across, red-purple in bud, paler on opening; tepals 6–8; buds sickle-shaped, resembling M. liliiflora. A medium to large rounded shrub. A de Vos & Kosar hybrid raised at the US National Arboretum before 1968; named for one of Francis de Vos’ daughters. Highly rated by Philippe de Spoelberch, Belgium (pers. comm. 2021).

Magnolia 'Ann' (16th April 2011). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Magnolia 'Ann' is a shrubby cultivar (35-year-old specimen at Batsford Arboretum, Gloucestershire, UK; 4 April 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

'Anne Rosse'

Flowers precocious, over a 4 week period from late March in S England, erect, to 21 cm across; tepals 9, narrow and pointed, the outer ones drooping, white with a rich pink flush outside, deepening to red at the base, the inner surface white with a pink base. An upright, small to medium tree, a seedling from M. denudata growing close to M. sargentiana (Treseder 1978). Selected before 1973 at Nymans, Sussex; named for Anne Parsons, Countess of Rosse, who retained a role in the garden at Nymans after it passed to the National Trust in 1953 (Wikipedia 2022; Tobin 2018). Considered ‘one of the best hardy, modern hybrid magnolias’ by Piet Vergeldt Boomkwekerij (2022), and highly rated by Phillipe de Spoelberch (pers. comm. 2021).

Magnolia 'Anne Rosse' (Arboretum Wespelaar, 17th March 2020). Image Christophe Crock.

Magnolia 'Anne Rosse' (Herkenrode, 23rd March 2020). Image Koen Camelbeke.

'Anticipation'

Flowers precocious, to 25 cm across, initially goblet-shaped but splaying open later; teplas white with a hint of pink at the base. A vigorous small to medium sized tree much resembling ‘Albatross’ (another M. cylindrica hybrid) in flower and habit (Pan-Global Plants 2022). Raised 1990 by August Kehr, NC, from Magnolia Society International seed labelled “M. cylindrica” (and hence probably itself a hybrid, see under M. cylindrica). Not hardy at Arboretum Wespelaar, Belgium (P. de Spoelberch pers. comm. 2021).

Magnolia 'Anticipation' (Arboretum Wespelaar, 24th April 2006). Image Koen Camelbeke.

Magnolia 'Anticipation' (10th April 2011). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

'Aphrodite'

Flowers precocious, goblet-shaped, magenta purple, with wide tepals. A vigorous small tree flowering well from an early age. Selected by Michael Gottschalk, Germany, before 2018 (Frank P Matthews 2022).

Magnolia 'Aphrodite' (16th March 2020). Image Caerhays Estate.

Magnolia 'Aphrodite' (20th March 2021). Image Caerhays Estate.

'Apollo'

Flowers precocious (late March to April in S England, July–August in New Zealand), star-shaped, 25–30 cm across; tepals rather narrow, deep violet in early flowers, deep lilac-pink in later flowers, paler inside. A very free-flowering small, spreading tree, often mutistemmed. Raised by Felix Jury, New Zealand, released 1990 (Jury 2017; Jury & Jury 2021).

Magnolia 'Apollo' (9th April 2016). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Magnolia 'Apollo' (18th April 2015). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

'Apricot Brandy'

Flowers with or just before the leaves; outer tepals apricot-yellow, inner tepals pale pink, the overall effect peach. A very floriferous small tree raised before 2002 by Phil Savage, WI (Magnolia Society International 2003; Frank P Matthews 2022). M. ‘Peachy’ has the same parentage.

Magnolia 'Apricot Brandy' has flowers of an unusual, subtle colour blend (22nd April 2015). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

Magnolia 'Apricot Brandy': a free-flowering, upright small tree (28th April 2016). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

'Archangel'

Flowers precocious (April in S England), cup-shaped, to 30 cm across, with some fragrance; tepals white flushed red-purple at the base, heavy-textured. A small to medium tree selected by Phil Savage, WI, before 2011 (Piet Vergeldt Boomkwekerij 2022).

'Asian Artistry'

Flowers precocious, in April (S England), upright, initially cup-shaped opening out to 30 cm across, fragrant; tepals 12, outside pale pink with purple-red base, inside pearly white. Reputed to be a Gresham hybrid, in the nursery trade by 2003, but details are scant.

Magnolia 'Asian Artistry' (6th April 2011). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

'Athene'

Flowers precocious, late March to April in S England, cup-and-saucer-shaped, very large and fragrant; tepals thick, white with a rather sharply defined violet-pink base outside. A vigorous medium tree raised by Felix Jury, New Zealand, introduced 1988. ‘Lotus’ and ‘Milky Way’ share this parentage (Jury 2017; Jury & Jury 2021).

Magnolia 'Athene' (6th April 2011). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

'Atlas'

Flowers precocious, extremely large to 35 cm across and with tepals to 15 cm wide, soft lilac-pink, held upright ‘like a giant pink cabbage’ (Jury & Jury 2021). A vigorous, small to medium tree deserving a sheltered site to avoid wind shredding its flowers. Flower buds only at branch tips, unlike many Jury Magnolias; introduced 1989 by Felix Jury, New Zealand (Jury 2017). The less vigorous ‘Iolanthe’ shares this parentage.

Magnolia 'Atlas' has enormous flowers (Tikorangi, New Zealand; 3rd September 2012). Image Abbie Jury.

Magnolia 'Atlas' (Tikorangi, New Zealand; 3rd September 2012). Image Abbie Jury.

Magnolia 'Atlas' flowers at the branch tips (Arboretum des Grandes Bruyères, 4th May 2011). Image Philippe de Spoelberch.

'Aurora'

Flowers precocious (late March to early April, S England), cup-and-saucer shaped, large (to 30 cm across); tepals rich pink outside, paler inside. An upright, columnar to pyramidal small tree flowering reliably from an early age. Bred by Oswald ‘Os’ Blumhardt, New Zealand, before 2000. Williams, Gardiner & Gallagher (2016) highlight it as an up-and-coming cultivar in Europe.

Magnolia 'Aurora' (17th February 2020). Image Caerhays Estate.

Magnolia 'Aurora' (20th March 2015). Image Caerhays Estate.

Magnolia 'Aurora' (13th March 2021). Image Caerhays Estate.

'Avocet'

Flowers precocious, large and tulip-shaped, white with basal pink flush. A small (potentially medium) tree selected by Tim Thornton, UK, and distributed in Europe (Frank P Matthews 2022). Philippe de Spoelberch, Belgium, considers it disappointing (pers. comm. 2021).

Magnolia 'Avocet' (26th March 2021). Image Caerhays Estate.