Trees provide a wide variety of benefits, from lowering your energy bill to beautifying the landscape. Tree benefits are endless, and everyone looks for different characteristics when choosing a tree. One species that offers a variety of features is the sweetbay magnolia.

A small to medium size tree, sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) packs a big punch. An understory species, this tree usually grows with a multi-trunked form to a height of 10 to 35 feet and can have a spread that is just as wide. Sweetbay magnolia is semi-evergreen, meaning it will lose its leaves for only a short time during winter (as it's beginning to do in the photo to the right). The long, oval leaf is shiny green on the top side with a silvery underside. Like other magnolias, the sweetbay magnolia has a large flower that turns into a cone like fruit with attractive, bright red seeds that birds love. The white, cup shaped flower of the sweetbay magnolia has 9-12 waxy pedals that put off a sweet smell. Sweetbay magnolia has a moderate growth rate, prefers clay soils, and in this region tends to grow best when planted in a partially shaded area.