Magnolia x soulangeana

In 1820, Etienne Soulange-Bodin , a retired cavalry officer in Napolean's army and former secretary to the French embassy in Constantinople first hybridized this plant. This magnificent tree, the saucer magnolia, is a cross between Magnolia denudate and M. liliiflora. There have been hundreds of named seedlings from this pairing and it is estimated to be the most commonly planted cultivated magnolia in the world with many subtle color and shape flower variations. The fleshy petals on the large and numerous flowers on our trees are characteristically pink on the outside and white on the inside.