Trees of Alabama and the Southeast Home Page

Leaves are simple, alternate, evergreen, elliptical, approximately 6 inches long, and silvery white on the underside.  Young twigs are green and hairy with a velvety hairy terminal bud.  Bark is mottled gray-brown to almost white and smooth, becoming a bit scaly on older stems.  Flowers are white and fragrant.  Fruit is a cone-like cluster of red follicles.  Sweetbay magnolia is found on moist to wet sites in the southeastern U.S. and is intermediate in shade tolerance.  The pale, soft wood is used for pulpwood and boxes.  The bark is eaten by beaver.  

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All text and photographs are intended for educational purposes only and are not for commercial use in any form.  All photographs are copyrighted by the named photographer(s), text copyright by Lisa Samuelson. © 2005, all rights reserved. Photographs by Mike Hogan.