Star magnolia-Magnolia stellata tree and flowers

Star magnolia - Magnolia stellata, is another early flowering magnolia species, native to Japan. Just like the closely related Mountain magnolia, Star magnolia is a slow growing, deciduous, large shrub or small tree, reaching 4.6 to 6 m (15 to 20 ft) in height, displaying oval growth in youth and spreads and mounds with age, developing a dense-compact, twiggy structure.
Star magnolia trees blooms just before Saucer magnolias (Magnolia x. soulangiana), the flowers covering the bare plant in late winter or early spring, before the leaves show.
Unlike the Kobushi magnolia, this tree blooms at a young age.

• The lightly fragrant, star shaped flowers are white to pink-tinged, having narrow and strap-like tepals (petals).
• Leaves are smaller than other magnolias and form a dense foliage mass.
  New leaves emerge with a bronze cast, turning to deep green as they mature, and yellow before dropping in autumn, without developing spectacular fall color.
• Its reddish-green fruits mature and open by slits to reveal orange-red seeds, in early autumn.

The photos were taken at the Central Park of Cluj-Napoca (my town).

Related topics:

• Mountain-magnolia-Magnolia-kobus
• Saucer magnolia-Magnolia soulangiana
• Japanese-Tulip magnolia
• First magnolia blossoms