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Monday, March 30, 2026

Magnolias are one of the oldest flowering plant lineages on Earth

Photo by Lee Wolfe

Spring has sprung in our front yard with this huge saucer magnolia in bloom. 

I recently learned that magnolias are considered one of the oldest flowering plant lineages on Earth, with fossils dating back over 95-100 million years to the Cretaceous period. 

They existed alongside dinosaurs and evolved before bees, developing strong, fragrant flowers designed for pollination by beetles. 

Our tree is a hybrid - a very distant relative of the original and is not fragrant, but beautiful to the eye.

--Lee Wolfe


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3 comments:

  1. RJ PernaMarch 30, 2026 at 9:52 AM

    I found the following article to be helpful in differentiating between these two species of trees.

    https://www.lovetoknow.com/home/garden/tulip-tree-vs-magnolia-tree-why-they-are-often-confused

    Tulip Tree vs. Tulip Magnolia Tree:
    Why They Are Often Confused

    ReplyDelete
  2. IDC9March 31, 2026 at 9:29 AM

    They certainly produce beautiful blooms!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMarch 31, 2026 at 7:53 PM

    👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

    ReplyDelete

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