Question: Dear all, In West Newbury, MA along the road there was about dozen white flowering trees located in very wet …
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Question
Dear all, In West Newbury, MA along the road there was about dozen white flowering trees located in very wet soils (noticeable skunk cabbage, iris nearby). The six petal white flower resembled sweet bay magnolia. I have included a photo of the flower, bracts, hopefully enough of the plant that an identification can be done. Is this possible for Essex County , MA? Thanks for your help! Best regards, Von
Answer
Dear Von, good afternoon. You have photographed a species of Magnolia, but I can't tell for certain who you have photographed from the images supplied. Maganolia virginiana (sweet-bay magnolia) is certainly known from Essex County, MA. However, these images don't seem to match that species. Would it be possible for you to send additional images to my email (ahaines@nativeplanttrust.org) so we can confirm the identification of this species. I need to see the color of the branchlets (and their diameter in mm) and also images of the underside of the leaves to identify if a bloom is present. This may be an undocumented species of magnolia occurring wild in New England. Thank you for your assistance.
