Content
- The fruit of the magnolia is not edible - but provides many wonderful seeds
- Magnolia has impressive fruits
- Seed and multiply magnolia
- Tips & Tricks
The fruit of the magnolia is not edible - but provides many wonderful seeds
Hardly anyone knows that magnolias not only develop beautiful, fragrant flowers, but also interesting-looking fruits.
Magnolia has impressive fruits
The fruits of the magnolia are so-called follicles, a very early in the evolution of the form of seed encapsulation. The Magnolia fruits look very similar to a pine cone in shape and are usually, depending on the variety, surrounded by a brown to red pulp. To seed, the fruit opens, so that the seed kernels, only held by a thin thread, are clearly visible. In their countries of origin, the seeds are often eaten by birds, which contribute to the further spread of magnolia. However, since magnolia is toxic to humans as a whole, it is not recommended to consume fruit - it is likely to cause painful cramps.
Seed and multiply magnolia
Nevertheless, you can use the magnolia fruits, namely for semen production and thus for the proliferation of magnolia. However, this only works for single-variety specimens, at intersections and hybrids, the result is uncertain. In contrast to propagation by offshoot or by moss, seed-derived offspring do not have the same genetic characteristics as the mother plant, so a crossbreeding may result in a very different species from the seed. When pulling the magnolia from a seed, do the following:
When and if the seed germinates, however, is pure luck thing. Magnolia seeds have not too high germination rate, also many seed kernels need extremely long for germination. So do not lose heart, best plant several seeds and always water well.
Tips & Tricks
Both the fruit and the seeds of magnolia are wonderful for an autumnal decoration, for example in a container.