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MAGNOLIA
Magnolia spp.
Includes at least the following. This list is not comprehensive but is extensive enough to give a good idea of the range of species and the overlap of common names among them.
M. acuminata (cucumber, blue, mountain, yellow flower)
M. ashei (ashe)
M. chempaka (chempaka)
M. cordata (yellow cucumber)
M. frasierii (mountain, frasier's)
M. grandiflora (American, evergreen, southern, sweet)
M. grandifolia (southern)
M. guatemalensis (Guatamalan, Honduran)
M. iltisiana (Mexican)
M. kobus (Japanese, northern Japanese)
M. macrophylla (bigleaf, greatleaved, largeleaved, silverleaved)
M. microcarpa (sprenger)
M. obovata (Japanese cucumber, white leaf Japanese, honoli-silver, Japanese red, Japanese silver)
M. poasana (Costa Rican)
M. pyramidata (pryamid, mountain)
M. salicifolia (willow-leaf)
M. sharpii (Mexican)
M. sororum (Costa Rican, Panamanian)
M. soulangiana/souldangena (saucer, Chinese)
M. sprengeri (sprenger)
M. tripetala (American, umbrella)
M. virginiana (swamp, sweetbay, southern sweetbay, Virginian)
M. yoroconte (redondo)
I have no idea of the extent of variability of the wood characteristics amoung the species, but it would be quite surprizing if there were not some significant differences, given the large number of species that are all generally called "magnolia" of one kind or another.
my samples:
both sides and both ends of a cucumber magnolia sample piece. The obvious difference in color between the two sides is correctly represented, not a mistake.
end grain closeup of the piece directly above --- color is too green (carelessness on my part)
both sides and both ends of a sample piece of spalted sweet bay magnolia. The spalting lines are much clearer in the enlargements. You can also see blue stain on this piece.
end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a Southern magnolia sample plank --- the slightly greenish color is correct
end grain and end grain closeup of the sample plank directly above
two sections of the same long veneer piece, and a closeup. This piece and the one directly below were contributed to the site by Daniel Deulen, whom I thank for this and other contributions.
two sections of the same long veneer piece, and a closeup
web pics
listed as "cucumber" magnolia --- I had no idea whether that is a common designation or the whimsy of a particular vendor but have now been told by Leamon Hinkle from Kentucky that the designation "cucumber" is used by older men in his region for a very broad-leaved tree, possibly because it has a seed pod that looks somewhat like a cucumber. Inspired by that information I did some further digging and found that there are varieties of magnolia that are in fact commonly called "cucumber tree". Botanical designations for such trees are Magnolia acuminat and Magnolia grandifoli. Thanks, Leamon.
listed as "southern" magnolia, this exact same pic was seen on another site where it was listed as "sweet bay" magnolia
southern magnolia
a spalted bowl turning blank
two planks listed as "tropical green" magnolia --- I suspect that the "green" in this case refers to "unseasoned" as opposed to a variety of the species, but I don't know that for sure.
bowl made from spalted magnolia
bowl --- the grain pattern is stronger than in the few samples I've seen, but that could be due to a finish or it could just be a tree with a more pronounced grain.