Pictures Of Magnolia Species and Seed Pods

[Kristl Walek]

Could members help?

I am part of the organizing committee here in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia for the annual "Magnolia Festival" each spring. As the main speaker this year, I intend to introduce species Magnolia with the emphasis being on propagation (no surprise there)....

I am seeking photographs of species (no hybrids) and also their seed pods. I will ultimately be preparing my talk using Power Point.

If anyone can help with pictures, could you contact me privately.

Thank you!!!!!

[fermi de Sousa]

Wow, it didn't take you long to get into the swing of things in your new home!
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

Fermi, Kristl must be what my father used to call a "joiner." He simply meant that such people (the comment was often directed at my mother) couldn't resist being a part of whatever was going on. Thank goodness for such people or nothing would ever be organized for the pleasure and education of the rest of us. Too lazy myself .

[Maggi Young]

I'm sure you're right, Lesley.... Kristl would be one to offer to get involved in any cause she felt worthwhile and to be sociable.... but the other side of this particular picture, I'd bet money on it, is that the local organisers took one look at Kristl and thought "Wow! Here's a gem we must not allow to get away!!"



 Sorry, Kristl, no magnolia pix for you from me, I'm afraid.  

[Kristl Walek]

i *was* temped to wait a while longer to respond so that i could get a better glimpse of the impression i have given members here....what fun.....and i know that the few members who actually do know me are chuckling (or laughing) out loud.

i am just about the furthest one can get to being a joiner....being a hermit through and through and much too overwhelmed with my business and pursuing my own private pleasures of plants, garden, study, writing, reading, the arts, culinary adventures, travel.

while i am by no means shy and extremely comfortable/confident socially, i am alone, by choice, most of the time, and in fact almost never venture out into the world unless necessary. when i do so, my activities are either boring necessities of life (post office, shopping) or to do things i love. there is almost nothing in between. my profound attachment to nature means i would much rather wander around in the wild than spend the same amount of time in almost any indoor activity.


the magnolia group is the only "joining" i have done since my arrival, because it is of interest, is my small way of contributing to this community and the bonus is the core group of 6 fantastic botanically-inclined women who form the group. i'll connect to the Nova Scotia Rock Garden Society and the Field Naturalists eventually, but because the distance factor to meetings is so prohibitive, i suspect this will not happen quickly.

[Maggi Young]

HaHa! Wrong spy, eh?!!

Funny the perceptions we get of folk..... and get wrong.... I am sure that many have very odd ideas about me, too.... most likely it is the case for all of us that we form opinions about each other via this strange e-world that have little basis in reality..

[TheOnionMan]

I am seeking photographs of species (no hybrids) and also their seed pods. I will ultimately be preparing my talk using Power Point.

Thank you!!!!!

Hi Kristl,

I uploaded some photos, but it might not be what you're looking for, but hopefully gives an idea about what would be suitable.  The one Magnolia here that makes lots of seeds and amusingly weird contorted "fruits", is M. 'Forrest's Pink'.  It is most often listed as a selection of a species, M. denudata 'Forrest's Pink', although others claim that it not truly a selection of M. denudata but rather it is a hybrid with that species.  Some I'm not sure it gets disqualified based on the possibly hybrid status.

[Kristl Walek]

thank you, Mark...
i love your capturing of the silky threads of the seed, which i always found particularly charming....

[Wergan]

kristl

I have pictures of Magnolia grandiflora flowers and seedheads and  pictures and artwork of an unidentified magnolia showing
the dangling seeds.  What would you like me to send?  Curiously I asked Kew what was the point of the silk threads and they could not find an answer.

Raymond Wergan  

 

[Wergan]

Magnolia seedhead thoughts.......
The seedhead of the Magnolia grandiflora in the top photo of my Feb 9 post (thanks Maggie) is an example of  "phyllotaxis"  in plants where leaves,scales,fruits and flowers form spirals in two directions (pinecones,sunflowers,pineapples etc).
If you then count the number of upward or outward spirals ,going in each direction,in the majority of cases the two numbers will be successive numbers in the Fibonacci sequence (1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55...)
in which every number is the sum of the two preceeding numbers. Weird,but botanically accepted.
Those adjacent numbers would come up twice on the M.grandiflora seedhead I showed......in the little scars spiralling 2 ways up the red neck of the stem,and then again in the spirals of the black tipped green scales which cover the ripening seeds. You can never pick another seedhead without checking!!
Wergan

[Kristl Walek]

Raymond,
Thank you for the gorgeous pictures---if you could also post a picture of the artwork with the "thready" seeds that would be terrific. One of the events during the Magnolia celebrations here is an art exhibition/sale, related to the genus --- apparently one of the paintings last year (which sold quickly) was precisely the same topic as yours.

I first learned about the Fibonacci sequence in relation to the foliage of the succulent, Orostachys spinosa. Fascinating to hear about it applying here as well.

[Wergan]

Kristl,
sorry for delay in reply but have been away for eight days walking in Derbyshire .
I have about eight more good pictures and four pieces of artwork to send. Can I send them direct to you to save clogging up the forum.
Raymond

[Kristl Walek]

Raymond,
My personal email should be in my profile.
Thank you.

Kristl

[Mick McLoughlin]

Kristl,
There is a link here with an offer of free to use photographs on request that may be useful to you.
http://www.fauna-flora.org/docs/Media_Release-As_magnolias_bloom,_spare_a_thought_for_their_endangered_cousins.pdf

Regards
Mick

[Wergan]

Kristl
Your email has been down for two weeks so my Magnolia pix are being bounced back.
Please email me when its back up
Cheers
Raymond