Flowering magnolias are known to be especially fragrant.

Southern magnolia is a large evergreen tree that needs lots of space.

The white blooms with pink interiors typically appear in early spring before the leaves appear.

white magnolia flower

The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

Many cultivars are available offering different flower colors in the purple range.

This is the most commonly grown magnolia in the United States.

This deciduous tree will produce white flowers with strappy petals before the leaves unfurl in the spring.

Southern Magnolia tree branch with dark waxy green leaves and large white flower

The Spruce / K. Dave

The fall color is a pleasing golden yellow.

It is sometimes treated as a subspecies of the bigleaf magnoliaits leaves are as much as two feet long.

Its name was given in honor of William Willard Ashe of the United States Forest Service.

saucer magnolia tree

The Spruce / Kara Riley

Cucumber Magnolia (Magnolia acuminata)

The cucumber magnolia is named so because the fruits resemble cucumbers.

The fruits that follow the flowers turn from green to red as they mature.

A favorite cultivar, ‘Nigra’, is renowned for deeply colored flowers.

Star magnolia tree branch with white flowers

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

After flowering, dark green elliptical leaves appear.

This species is a parent of the saucer magnolia.

This small tree usually has multiple stems, but you could create acentral leader by pruning.

Anise Magnolia

Garden Photo World/Georgianna Lane/Getty Images

Fragrant star-shaped pink and white flowers four to six inches wide appear in spring before the foliage emerges.

The dark green oval leaves are smaller than other magnolias, growing no more than five inches long.

It is an excellent plant for boggy locations or clay soils.

Ashe’s Magnolia

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Waxy white flowers appear in midsummer to early autumn; the shiny green oblong leaves have silvery undersides.

While they’re fragrant, they’re not particularly sweet-smelling.

It is a smaller, pink star magnolia with small leaves.

Magnolia acuminata / Cucumber Magnolia

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Magnolia trees have shallow roots, so they can be more delicate in strong winds and storms.

Magnolias can also be messy when they drop their flowers and leaves, making them a high-maintenance tree.

Magnolia (Magnolia liliflora nigra x veicthii) ‘Raspberry Ice’

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Picture of the Kobus Magnolia Tree

Georgianna Lane/ Alloy/ Getty Images

Loebner Magnolia

hkuchera / Getty Images

Magnolia tripetala

Joshua McCullough, PhytoPhoto / Getty Images

Common Species of Magnolia Trees and Shrubs

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