Magnolia tripetala

(L.) L.

Umbrella Magnolia

G5Secure Found in 31 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.147677
Element CodePDMAG02090
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderMagnoliales
FamilyMagnoliaceae
GenusMagnolia
Other Common Names
Umbrella-tree (EN) umbrella-tree (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-11-20
Change Date1991-05-07
Edition Date2024-11-20
Edition AuthorsBroaddus, Lynn (1991), Soteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Magnolia tripetala is a tree in forests and ravines endemic to the southeastern United States from southern Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana south to South Carolina west to the Florida panhandle and Mississippi, disjunct in the Interior Highlands of Arkansas and Oklahoma. There are an estimated 1,000 occurrences which potentially face threats from development, rights-of-way maintenance and pipeline development, silviculture, recreational activities, wildfires, and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Magnolia tripetala is endemic to the southeastern United States, centered in the Southern Appalachians though not typically found at higher elevations, ranging from south-central and southwestern Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, and southern Indiana south to South Carolina west to the Florida panhandle and Mississippi, disjunct in the Ouachita Mountains and Ozark Highlands in Arkansas and Oklahoma (Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024). It is naturalizing from plantings in Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and New England. Range extent was estimated to be approximately 1.25 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are 1,000 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024). This species is occasionally cultivated (FNA 1997), and iNatualist observations (>6,000) were not evaluated for evidence of cultivation, though observations outside the native range were excluded (iNaturalist 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, silviculture, rights-of-way maintenance and pipeline development, recreational activities (especially development of multi-use trails) wildfires, invasive species, and other threats in some places (NatureServe 2024). However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Magnolia tripetala grows in mesic, rich forests and ravines, mainly in uplands, rarely coastal plain (FNA 1997, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest - HardwoodForest - Mixed
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
MississippiS1Yes
North CarolinaS5Yes
ConnecticutSNANo
MassachusettsSNRYes
New YorkSNANo
OklahomaS1Yes
New JerseySNANo
KentuckyS5Yes
OhioS3Yes
GeorgiaSNRYes
MarylandS3Yes
MissouriSNRYes
South CarolinaS3Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
DelawareSNANo
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
FloridaS1Yes
ArkansasSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS2Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
IndianaS1Yes
West VirginiaS5Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (31)
Arkansas (8)
AreaForestAcres
Bear MountainOuachita National Forest1,910
Blue MountainOuachita National Forest9,755
Brush HeapOuachita National Forest4,205
Dismal CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest9,160
Gee CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest7,957
Hurricane CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest2,279
Little BlakelyOuachita National Forest3,342
Pedestal RocksOzark-St. Francis National Forest21,957
Georgia (3)
AreaForestAcres
Indian Grave GapChattahoochee National Forest1,020
Lance CreekChattahoochee National Forest9,025
Rocky MountainChattahoochee National Forest4,269
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
North Carolina (10)
AreaForestAcres
Cheoah BaldNantahala National Forest7,795
Harper CreekPisgah National Forest7,325
Jarrett CreekPisgah National Forest7,485
Laurel MountainPisgah National Forest5,683
Lost CovePisgah National Forest5,944
Mackey MountainPisgah National Forest5,934
Pond Pine BCroatan National Forest2,961
Wilson CreekPisgah National Forest4,863
Woods MountainPisgah National Forest9,602
Yellowhammer Branch (add.)Nantahala National Forest1,255
Oklahoma (1)
AreaForestAcres
Beech CreekOuachita National Forest8,303
Tennessee (6)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainCherokee National Forest11,743
Brushy RidgeCherokee National Forest7,469
Devil's BackboneCherokee National Forest4,287
Flint Mill GapCherokee National Forest9,494
Sampson Mountain AdditionCherokee National Forest3,064
Upper Bald RiverCherokee National Forest9,202
Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Beaver Dam CreekJefferson National Forest1,135
New London Bridge BranchJefferson National Forest844
References (8)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 1997. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 3. Magnoliophyta: Magnoliidae and Hamamelidae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiii + 590 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Little, E.L., Jr. 1979. Checklist of United States trees (native and naturalized). Agriculture Handbook No. 541. U.S. Forest Service, Washington, D.C. 375 pp.
  6. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  7. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  8. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.