The Oyama magnolia is a shrubby small tree from Korea, Japan, and China that blooms in early summer, after most magnolias are done, hanging fragrant white cups with a ring of crimson stamens in the center. It doesn't grow wild in the US, but it's among the hardiest magnolias and is planted in gardens. It's also called Siebold's magnolia or Korean mountain magnolia.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A deciduous large shrub or small tree, typically 16–33 ft (5–10 m) tall, often spreading wide.
- Leaves
- Oval leaves roughly 2.5–6 in (6–16 cm) long, with a pale bluish-gray underside.
- Flowers
- Cup- to saucer-shaped white flowers 3–4 in (7–10 cm) across, nodding or facing sideways, with a showy center of purplish-red stamens and a sweet scent.
- Flowering time
- In gardens it blooms in late May or June, then keeps producing a few flowers on and off through summer.
- Fruit
- Red, cone-like fruit clusters 1–3 in (2–7 cm) long split open in fall to show bright red seeds.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- mountain forests
- streamsides
- gardens
- Range
- Native to Korea, China, and Japan. It doesn't grow wild in the US, but it's planted as an ornamental.
- Preferred conditions
- In the wild it grows in forests and along streams, mostly in the mountains.
Growing it
- Care
- Hardy in USDA zones 5–9. It does best in moist, acidic soil with light shade; hot, dry summers don't suit it.
Name and classification
- About the name
- It was first named Magnolia parviflora in 1846, but that name had already been used for another plant, so the name sieboldii, honoring Philipp Franz von Siebold, replaced it.
- Varieties and forms
- Garden selections include double-flowered types and big-flowered forms with blooms up to 6 in (15 cm).
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
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