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Magnolia wilsonii

Wilson's Magnolia

Family MagnoliaceaeGenus Magnolia

A nodding white flower of broad overlapping petals opening around a crimson ring of stamens and a green cone, below a leafy branch.
FlowerUlf EliassonCC BY 2.5

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
TreePlant Finder
Habit
treePlants of the World Online
Height
15-20 ft4.6-6.1 mPlant Finder
Spread
8-13 ft2.4-4 mPlant Finder
Flower
Showy; white with rose-purple stamensPlant Finder
Blooms
MayPlant Finder
Native range
Southern and central ChinaPlant Finder
Hardiness zones
6-9Plant Finder
Note
Germination is epigeal; cotyledons follow in 1-3 weeks. Empty seed coats skew Deno's counts.Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed.

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sun to part shadePlant Finder
Soil
Moist, slightly acidic, organically rich, well-drained loamPlant Finder
Watering
MediumPlant Finder

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plant Finder — Missouri Botanical Garden; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno.

Worth knowing

  • Wilson's magnolia grows in the forest understorey of south-central China and northeastern Myanmar, at 1,900 to 3,000 m. Though rare, it is grown as an ornamental and holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Wikipedia: Magnolia wilsonii

This source reports three treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

  1. Clean the flesh off the seed

    The seed sits in an oily red berry. Wash it daily, briefly, with detergent.

  2. Sow and cover

No stated waiting before sowing.

Deno gives no figures in this passage -- only the washing, and the two things that kill the seed.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, MagnoliaPublic domain
Show the original text
Magnolia (Magnoliaceae). Seeds are enclosed in an oily red berry, and were WC with daily brief detergent washes. Germinations might have been improved if there had been exteneded detergent washes. Empty seed coats make seed counts inaccurate. Germination is epigeal and the cotyledons develop in 1-3 w after germination. Outdoor treatment killed the seeds and seeds of M. sieboldi and M. wilsoni that had been stored for 2 y were dead.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Magnolia. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 730 days

    Seed stored two years was dead.

  2. Sow and cover

about 2 years from start to sowing.

0% germination.

Two years in storage and the seed was simply dead. Sow Magnolia fresh.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, MagnoliaPublic domain
Show the original text
Magnolia (Magnoliaceae). Seeds are enclosed in an oily red berry, and were WC with daily brief detergent washes. Germinations might have been improved if there had been exteneded detergent washes. Empty seed coats make seed counts inaccurate. Germination is epigeal and the cotyledons develop in 1-3 w after germination. Outdoor treatment killed the seeds and seeds of M. sieboldi and M. wilsoni that had been stored for 2 y were dead.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Magnolia. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

  1. Clean the flesh off the seed

    The seed sits in an oily red berry. Wash it daily, briefly, with detergent.

  2. Sow outdoors and leave it

    Outdoor treatment killed the seeds.

No stated waiting before sowing.

0% germination.

Deno reports this for Magnolia as a whole rather than for this species by name.

This source doesn't state how long step 2 lasts.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, MagnoliaPublic domain
Show the original text
Magnolia (Magnoliaceae). Seeds are enclosed in an oily red berry, and were WC with daily brief detergent washes. Germinations might have been improved if there had been exteneded detergent washes. Empty seed coats make seed counts inaccurate. Germination is epigeal and the cotyledons develop in 1-3 w after germination. Outdoor treatment killed the seeds and seeds of M. sieboldi and M. wilsoni that had been stored for 2 y were dead.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Magnolia. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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