Magnolia stellata star magnolia

Magnolia stellata behind the Bookstore (now removed). Sairus Patel, 2 Mar 2022

Magnolia stellata, Lomita Mall (now removed). John Rawlings, 18 Feb 2005

A twiggy, deciduous shrub adorned in white, sometimes pink-tinged flowers in February and March before the leaves come in. The blossoms are about 3 inches across and comprise a dozen or more strap-like tepals that lengthen a bit as they age, flopping outward in a somewhat informal rendition of a star (hence stellata).

The most prominent on central campus is a ‘Royal Star’ on the northern corner of the lawn north of The Claw fountain in front of the Bookstore. This cultivar has pale pink buds that open to larger, fuller flowers: up to 30 tepals and 6 inches across. A small pair of the same cultivar is in one of the rectangular beds between Green Library and Crothers Hall. A star magnolia blooms near the door on the southeast corner of the courtyard between Encina Hall and Encina Commons; saucer magnolias and southern magnolias are nearby. A half dozen or so deciduous magnolias, some of them M. stellata, are on the north side of Sequoia Hall. A specimen about 10 feet all is on the right of the house at 683 Alvarado Row. While star magnolia is usually doesn’t get taller than that, two magnificent specimens that flank the front path at 680 Lowell Avenue in Palo Alto soar to more than 25 feet.

Name derivation: Magnolia – Pierre Magnol, 1638–1715, botanist of Montpellier; stellata – see text.