banner image Facebook Twitter

Scientific Name: Magnolia acuminata
Common Name(s): Cucumbertree Magnolia, Cucumber MagnoliaMagnolia acuminata - Cucumbertree Magnolia

  • Hardiness Zones: 3-8
  • Mature Size: 50-70' tall & wide
  • Habit: Pyramidal in youth to rounded at maturity
  • Growth Rate: Medium-fast
  • Bark: Smooth gray-brown in youth; ridged and furrowed with age
  • Leaf Color: Dark green and large
  • Fall Color: Not exciting but a few will exhibit a soft ash-brown
  • Flowers: Green-yellow petals in May to early June; slightly fragrant
  • Fruit: Pink-red in October resembling 2-3'' small cucumber
  • Disease & Insect Problems: None serious
  • Culture: Prefers deep, loamy, well-drained soils; performs well in the calcareous soils of the Midwest; partial shade-full sun; not tolerable of extreme drought or wetness
  • Recommended Cultivars (if any):
    ‘Koban Dori’---pale yellow flowers typically on older trees

Author Notes: This is an excellent large shade tree and provides great character for large properties such as a golf course. It is the hardiest of the native Magnolia species. Nursery grown cultivars have showy yellow flowers and are becoming easier to find in the nursery trade.

AHS LogoGarden Writers Assoc. Perennial Plant AssociationChadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens Ohio Chapter ISAOhio Turfgrass Foundation