Magnolia 'Elizabeth'

One of the loveliest, and most enduring, of the flowering magnolias is Magnolia ' Elizabeth,' which puts on a show to see in the spring.

Although several other yellow-flowering magnolias have been introduced in the last 20 years, ' Elizabeth' holds its own in the market and the hearts of its growers. It's an old faithful for Ken Twombly, owner of Twombly Nursery in Monroe, Conn.

"We've been selling it for 15 years," he said. "There are a lot of yellow magnolias now; this one has a real pretty bloom."

Introduced in 1977 by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, ' Elizabeth' is a selected seedling from a cross between the cucumber tree, Magnolia acuminata, a North American native, and the Yulan magnolia, M. denudata (formerly heptapeta). The crosses were made in 1956 by Evamaria Sperber, former plant breeder at the Brooklyn garden.

Late blooms a plus

Growers became interested in it immediately, but its lateness to flower really set them off, said Jacqueline Fazio, director of horticulture at the Brooklyn garden. "In the Northeast, that's important, because we get some frosts in April."

' Elizabeth' generally will bloom in late April or early May with "glamorous yellow flowers," according to one critic. Others have described its blooms as primrose yellow maturing to transparent yellow, butter yellow, and translucent highlighted by a tinge of green. Flowers are conspicuous because they appear before the leaves are fully expanded. At maturity, ' Elizabeth' has a pyramidal habit and reaches 35 feet, with a spread of up to 15 feet, and is hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 5. It is very vigorous and develops best in slightly acidic soils. Unlike some magnolias, its fragrant flowers may appear at a young age, three years on occasion.

Probably sterile, ' Elizabeth' is fairly easily rooted by softwood cuttings under mist.

Twombly said pest problems are minimal.

Other Brooklyn Botanic Garden magnolia releases:

* 'Lois' was released last year. More intense yellow than ' Elizabeth,' and flowers as ' Elizabeth' is fading.

* 'Evamaria' flowers are purple with variable degree of an orange, yellow and green tinge.

* 'Yellow Bird' flowers are smaller than those of ' Elizabeth' but are a more intense yellow.

* 'Hattie Carthan' flowers are light yellow with magenta-rose veins extending from the base to halfway upward in the center of the petals.

* 'Marillyn' has bright-purple flowers and is hardy to Zone 4.

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Specifics

Name: ' Elizabeth' magnolia

Hardiness: USDA Hardiness Zone 5.

Description: Yellow-flowering, deciduous, pyramidal tree to 35 feet tall by 15 feet wide. Grows best in slightly acidic soils and in full sun.

Suggested uses: Probably best suited in larger gardens as a shade or specimen tree.

For more: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225; (718) 623-7200; fax (718) 857-2430. Twombly Nursery, 163 Barn Hill Road, Monroe, CT 06468; (203) 261-2133; fax (203) 261-9230.

- David Morgan

Photos by Michael A. Dirr