Cucumbertree Magnolia

LEAVES: Alternate, simple, 4″-12″ long, smooth above, downy beneath; margins smooth or sometimes wavy.

TWIGS: Reddish brown, shiny, with peppery smell and taste. Buds covered with greenish white silky hairs; end buds 1/2″- 3/4″ long. Leaf scars horseshoe shaped.

FRUIT: When young, like a small green cucumber. When mature in autumn, 3″-4″ long, a cluster of small red pods, each containing two scarlet seeds; often remains attached all winter. Flowers large (3″ long), greenish yellow, single, upright; appear from April to June.

BARK: Gray-brown to brown, developing long, narrow furrows and loose scaly ridges.

GENERAL: A medium-sized tree, native to rich upland woods and slopes in the western half of the Commonwealth. Magnolia wood is used mainly for interior finish, furniture and containers. Songbirds, squirrels and mice eat the seeds.