Magnolia stellata Gold Star

Magnolia x stellata 'Gold Star', also known as star magnolia, is a still rare, small deciduous tree, resulting from a cross with Magnolia stellata. Unforgettable at the end of winter, like all magnolias in flower, this one blooms from a very early age, with pale yellow, lightly scented, star-shaped flowers in late spring. In addition to its unusual shape, bushy but delicate, it has dark green foliage, bronze when juvenile. Suitable for any moist soil, in full sun or partial shade.

This Magnolia, a member of the Magnoliaceae family, is an American (Michigan) variety resulting from a cross between Magnolia acuminata var. subcordata 'Miss Honeybee' and Magnolia stellata. It has inherited hardiness and a good tolerance of slighlty chalky soil from both its parents. A small, branching tree with a rounded, spreading form, taller than it is wide, it is 3.50 m (11ft) in height  and 2.50 m (8ft 2in) in spread at maturity, it is slightly larger than Magnolia stellata. Often growing as a bush with an attractive, well-balanced canopy, it can also grow on a single trunk. The base of its leaves is contracted and their rounded tip is slightly acuminate. Its deciduous foliage consists of obovate, dark green leaves with a paler, fine-haired underside, turning yellow-brown in autumn and measuring 10 to 15 cm (3.9 - 5.9 in) in length. The juvenile foliage is always bronze, turning green at maturity. In April, two weeks after Magnolia stellata, large, solitary, star-shaped, pale to buttery yellow flowers appear before the leaves. These wide-open flowers, resembling water lilies, emerge from buds protected by silky bracts, and consist of 14 thick, waxy tepals (indistinguishable sepals and petals), opening wide and measuring up to 15 cm (5.9 in) in diameter, with numerous yellow stamens. Its bark is aromatic when young.

This Magnolia, the ultimate ornamental tree, will look as wonderful in a small garden as in a vast park. It is most often used as a free-standing specimen in the middle of a lawn, where its remarkable flowers are most effective. It can also be used in a border of ericaceous shrubs (Rhododendrons, Camellias, Hydrangeas, Nandinas, Peonies...) for a Japanese-style garden. You can also create beautiful flowering hedges along pathways, alternating this Magnolia with other cultivars (Magnolia grandiflora, Magnolia denudata...).

A few facts:
Magnolias are ancient trees with fossils dating back more than 20 million years. Their magnificent blooms are considered some of the most primitive: their flowers are very close to the earliest existing flowers in evolutionary terms.
The bark of magnolias has medicinal properties and is used in cosmetics. Their wood is considered precious.

A bit of history:
It was named Magnolia in 1703 by Charles Plumier, botanist to King Louis XIV, paying tribute to the physician-botanist Pierre Magnol (1638-1715), who was one of the directors of the Botanical Garden of Montpellier at the end of the 17th century. Its species name, soulangeana, comes from Etienne Soulange-Bodin (1774-1846), a retired cavalry officer in Napoleon's army, who devoted himself to horticulture. At his château in Fromont, near Paris, he became passionate about Magnolias and bred this hybrid in 1829, which is now the source of a magnificent lineage of cultivars!