Botany Photo of the Day

A stunning shot, Daniel. Yet again, you've captured the uncultivated sumptuousness of these luminous flowers.

Quote . . . 'Alba' generally means “flowers are white compared to the typical”.

Does this mean this individual is wrongly labelled? Looks distinctly pink to me!

I wouldn't want to turn the head of Vancouverites, but your gardens are so far ahead of us! No sign of magnolia blossoms yet - the forsythia and camellia are just coming out.

Yes: Looks like the form grown as the typical var. robusta, with pink tepals shading to darker color at the base. One acquired as supposedly purple 'Blood Moon' had a single flower here this year that wasn't much darker than the one shown. Of course, 'dark' forms of Sec. Yulania magnolias often turn out to vary in depth of coloring from one year to the next. Different specimens in the same general vicinity will also differ during the same year. And first blooms produced on a new specimen may not be fully representative.

If there is, in fact a bona fide pure white 'Alba' in western cultivation presently UBC tree probably grown from seed (rather than scions) taken from an 'Alba' or received under the wrong name, due to a labeling mixup at a nursery.

My mouth waters when I see your magnolias.
Anonymous quote: Woman has no seductions for the man who cannot keep his eyes off his magnolias.

I agree with Sue and loved the quote!

So THAT'S why I've had so few girlfriends! But wait: I DO look at them, too. They just aren't looking back.

The tree shown is just pale enough at the stage of development its flowers are at that perhaps 'Alba' is actually a hyperbolic name for a pale pink clone that the UBC specimen does represent. I've had this idea in my mind the whole time bt didn't mention it (have probably seen other photos and discussion elsewhere). When I am back home I will look it up.

I looked in three magnolia treatments (Callaway, Gardiner, Rankin) I have here. It is mentioned that var. robusta varies from white to purple and a few white or nearly white cultivars are mentioned. However, none of these are called 'Alba' and one author (Rankin) shows a plant with pretty much the same flowers as those shown here with the comment "This pale pink form grows at Nymans in Sussex."