Appearance

Growth form

A deciduous shrub or small tree, usually 8–12 ft (2.4–3.7 m) tall and wide.

Flowers

Goblet-shaped flowers have about six petal-like parts, purple-red outside and paler inside. They open before the leaves; color varies among cultivars.

Flowering time

In North Carolina, it usually flowers in April and May.

Fruit

Cone-like clusters of fruit sometimes follow the flowers.

Look-alikes

Saucer magnoliaMagnolia × soulangeana

Saucer magnolia often has larger, paler inner flower parts, and its outer three parts are usually much larger than lily magnolia's small green ones. Some flowers overlap in form, so a single bloom may not settle the ID.

Yulan magnoliaMagnolia denudata

Yulan magnolia has white flowers and grows into a larger tree. Lily magnolia is usually a smaller, purple-flowered shrub.

	Flower color	Outer flower parts
Lily magnolia	Deep purple-red	3 small green outer parts
Yulan magnolia	White	9 showy parts
Saucer magnolia	White to pink-purple	Outer parts often larger

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• Yards and gardens
• Parks
• Arboretums

Range

Native to China. In the U.S. it is grown in yards, parks, and botanical collections rather than as a native wild tree.

Preferred conditions

Grows in full sun to part shade in rich, well-drained, neutral to slightly acidic soil. A spot out of strong wind and away from warm south-facing walls helps keep buds from opening too early.

Flowering

Flowers Apr–May

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Flowers

Flowers Apr–May

Growing it

Care

Grows in plant hardiness zones 5–8. Late frost can damage the spring flowers.

Name and classification

About the name

Also called Mulan magnolia or purple magnolia. The Little Girl plants, including Susan, are hybrids with other magnolia species.

Varieties and forms

'Nigra' is a dark-flowered selection of lily magnolia.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

DDData Deficient·Not enough data yet to assess