'Goldfinch' Cucumbertree Magnolia

(Magnolia acuminata 'Goldfinch')

Date Planted: May 1998

Family: Magnoliaceae

Hardiness: Hardy in the Gorham, ME area; Zone (3)4-8

Mature Dimensions: 50-80 feet tall, 50-80 feet wide

Habit: Upright, broad, rounded outline in maturity

Bark: Smooth gray brown in youth, ridged and slightly scaly in maturity

Buds: Silvery-yellow, fuzzy; terminal 1/2 -3/4 inches long, at a slight angle
from stem; lateral buds ¼-1/2 inches long, sit in depression of leaf scar, and often rest against the stem

Leaves: Simple, alternate, elliptic to oblong-ovate, 4-10 inches long, ½ as
wide; margins entire, dark green above, light green and slightly fuzzy beneath; petiole 1-2 inches long. In fall, leaves age to brown

Flowers: Light yellow, perfect flowers borne in late June; petals are 2-3 inches long and borne in two sets of three. Sepals 1-1 ½ inches long

Fruit: Aggregate of follicles, oblong, yellow-brown, 2-3 inches long, appears in October

Pests/Diseases: Occasional scale; virtually pest free

Reference Pages: Dirr M. 1998. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Stipes Publishing Co., Champaign, IL.