{"id":1950,"date":"2024-05-21T18:34:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-21T18:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.themagnoliacompany.com\/blog\/?p=1950"},"modified":"2024-08-05T19:44:03","modified_gmt":"2024-08-05T19:44:03","slug":"discovering-the-magnificent-magnolia-a-journey-through-time-and-gardens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themagnoliacompany.com\/blog\/discovering-the-magnificent-magnolia-a-journey-through-time-and-gardens\/","title":{"rendered":"Discovering the Magnificent Magnolia: A Journey Through Time and Gardens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When it comes to our writing, we\u2019re happy to go outside the box and break the fourth wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the last 3 years, our most top ranking blog post<\/a> hasn\u2019t changed. In fact, it\u2019s only gone up in popularity over time, which tells us something important: People really, really care about this topic. It means something to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It means something to us, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s this mystery topic? The blog is titled \u201cThe Incredible Symbolism of the Magnolia Tree<\/a>\u201d and it\u2019s a brief overview on the cultural symbolism of magnolia trees (and why we like them enough to dedicate a whole company to them).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of all the different species of trees, Magnolias in particular have a special place in many people\u2019s hearts. You could argue they\u2019ve got a bit of a fan following – and really, what\u2019s not to love? They\u2019re tall, they\u2019re tough, they\u2019re generous, and they\u2019re downright gorgeous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that same spirit, we\u2019re going to spend a minute on the history of magnolia trees, what makes magnolias so unique, and how cultures traditionally harnessed their biological strengths throughout history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Old Roots: The Ancient Origins of Magnolia Trees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a reason magnolia trees are so noble and well adapted: they\u2019re old<\/em>. As in, really old<\/em>. Dinosaur-levels of ancient (and no, we\u2019re not pulling your leg with this one).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be more precise, we\u2019re talking at least 95 million years old according to some carbon dated fossilized sources, which makes magnolias among the oldest flowering plants on Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For perspective, dinosaurs still walked the earth and humans had yet to evolve. This time is known as the Cretaceous Period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s fascinating to us is that the fossilized evidence of magnolias isn\u2019t just one or two bits of rock in one hyper-specific location; it\u2019s actually scattered across the globe, from China and Europe to the Americas. The evidence also shows that these trees really haven\u2019t changed much, so the magnificent magnolias we admire today are pretty close to how they looked back then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These trees witnessed animals we can only see fossils of. They\u2019ve seen the continents drift. They\u2019ve known the rise and fall of empires and civilizations we\u2019re still learning about. In the grand scheme of things, humanity is but a drop in the bucket of their existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talk about aging well!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Ancient Magnolia Tree – Fernandina<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

A Truly Unique Tree<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you look up interesting facts about magnolias, you\u2019re likely to come across 2 things: their wild evolutionary age, and their pollination. Funny enough, these two facts are heavily intertwined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When dinosaurs walked the Earth, our world didn\u2019t look like it does today. The land was different, the plants were different, and the animals were different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the major unsung heroes of today\u2019s flora and fauna also didn\u2019t exist back then. Bees evolved much further down the timeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if you\u2019re a flowering tree 95 million years ago when bees and other winged insects don\u2019t yet exist, and you rely on pollination in order to reproduce – how on Earth are you going to get pollinated? (Come on, that was a class A pun right there!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wingless beetles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To this day, Nitidulid beetles are magnolia trees\u2019 primary pollinators. The OG pollinators, if you\u2019re hip with the lingo kids use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Beetle\u2019s Best Friend<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The pollination process is a surprisingly active one, for both the beetles and the blooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nitidulid beetles crawl into the magnolia\u2019s beautiful, alluring blossoms in the evening after a day of gathering pollen from the stamens (the male parts of the flower) of other magnolia trees all day. The plant closes part of its blooms overnight, encasing both the carpel (considered the female part of the plant) and beetle as it hungrily explores the massive flower. The flower then reopens in the morning, sending the beetle on a quest to find a new flower to pollinate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The timing, opening, and closing of a magnolia\u2019s flower ensures the species is protected from inbreeding and other harmful genetic mutations. It\u2019s why the trees adapted so well!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beetles are covered head to toe in their exoskeleton armor, oftentimes featuring a pronounced mandible that they use for defense and eating. Magnolias evolved a particularly tough set of reproductive parts – especially the carpels – to withstand any potential damage from the beetles\u2019 equally tough exoskeleton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"magnolia<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Old Tree, New Medicine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because magnolia trees predate humans, it\u2019s no surprise that they\u2019ve played a key role in several cultures across the globe over the centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many species of magnolia are native to Asia, so Chinese and Japanese cultures have a special place for this remarkably timeless tree as a symbol of nobility and purity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More practically speaking, magnolia trees possess a myriad of medicinal properties, which humans have utilized throughout history. Many Asian cultures used magnolia bark as a remedy for both physical and mental maladies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These cultural practices were onto something. Before you turn your nose up, the US National Library of Medicine published a study in 2017 acknowledging the very real, very measurable medicinal qualities of magnolia derivatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the most notable therapeutic properties the infamous giving tree has to offer include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n