Photo of Magnolia insignis flower by Lance Wright

Photo by Lance Wright

Used with permission, all rights reserved

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Magnolia insignis

Also Known As

  • Manglietia insignis
  • Red Lotus Tree

Plant type

tree

size

  • H: 25'-40'
  • W: 15'-30'

planting zones

  • 7a-9b

More Options

Magnolia insignis plant details

Magnolia insignis is a broadleaf evergreen tree with green foliage. In spring and summer pink and white flowers emerge. Features glossy texture. Attracts bees making it an excellent addition to pollinator gardens. Grows well with mostly shade and even moisture - regular water. Adapts to various soil conditions. Does well in acidic, rich and well-drained soil.

CHARACTERISTICS OF Magnolia insignis

Plant type: tree
Plant family: magnoliaceae
Foliage: evergreen green
Mature size: 15 FT - 30 FT - wide, 25 FT - 40 FT - tall
Flowers: pink and white blooms in spring and summer
Uses: cutting garden, fragrant, rare, showy, small tree, unique, year-round-interest

GROWING CONDITIONS for Magnolia insignis

USDA Zones: 7a - 9b
Sun exposure: mostly shade
Watering frequency: even moisture - regular
Resistant to: deer
Soil needs: acidic, rich and well-drained

Nursery contributed plant descriptions

This lovely 15-30? multi-stemmed Magnolia relative has fragrant cream-tinged-carmine flowers followed by showy purple-red fruiting cones?too bad it?s not hardier, but maybe with protection??hope, hope?! PSh/M/acid
A rare tree, Insignis produces beautiful pale pink flowers with thick succulent-like tepels in June. All the flowers open slowly and sporadically in different places all over the tree for several weeks. The flower buds have a beauty of their own. They are reddish green and stand perfectly erect on the branches, like candles. Beautiful evergreen foliage!The leaves are supple and lanceolate and provide excellent color and structure during the winter months. When young, Insignis does not tolerate long periods of cold. Be sure to cover her with a secured blanket and a support post if needed. Once established, she can thrive flawlessly, even in a cold, northern exposure.

By: Ellipsis Gardens

Red Lotus Tree. This Asian evergreen magnolia has pink-red tepals on small flowers. The foliage looks somewhat like M. virginiana, but the small red-pink flowers are a great surprise.
Exceptionally frost hardy, evergreen magnolia with handsome,shiny green, leathery leaves on a small to medium tree, to 25-30' tall over time, blooming at an early age with late spring, chalice-shaped flowers appearing in every leaf axil -- in this form reddish pink and white -- highly fragrant as well. Prefers rich, well-drained, acidic soil and regular summer water in full sun to part shade out of east winds. Spring applications of iron keep the foliage bright and green. Frost hardy to 0 °F, USDA zone 7. Magnoliaceae
This evergreen magnolia has thick, dark green leaves and large, fragrant flowers 12 cm across which open white and develop red-tinted tips.
This is a hardy evergreen Magnolia (formerly Michelia) that Hinkley collected in northern Vietnam in 2006. This has made a fine small tree quickly at Windcliff where it has weathered some bad winters. This is grown from cuttings from that plant and you can expect nice white flowers in just a few years.
Flowers open white and develop red-tinted tips in early summer. Dick Figlar, among the most knowledgeable of magnolia experts world-wide, remarks, "The red color of the flower is stunning in the summertime when you don't expect it." Here in the Pacific Northwest, Sean Hogan notes that M. insignis is his most popular evergreen magnolia and is attractive for its cold hardiness, stout and dark glossy leaves that grow on a medium-size tree of 25', and flowers that appear on the tree when it is young.

Gardening facts about Magnolia insignis plant

How to Grow Magnolia insignis

  • Sun Exposure

    • mostly shade
  • Soil Needs

    • acidic
    • adaptable
    • well-drained
    • rich
  • Water Needs

    • even moisture - regular

Features

  • Foliage Color

    • green
  • Flower Color

    • white
    • pink
  • Flower Season

    • spring
    • summer
  • Texture

    • glossy
  • Foliage Season

    • evergreen
  • Wildlife

    • bees
    • deer resistant
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