Magnolia x loebnerii 'Merrill' - Merrill Magnolia

Its hard to pass on these smaller deciduous flowers trees, especially in the early spring. What a show they can put on. The Loebneri hybrid and cultivars are small trees or large shrubs to 20' usually multi-stemmed or branched very low. Hybrid between M. kobus and M. stellata (which some people say are the same species).

Leaves are alternate, simple, narrowly obovate, light green upper and lower surfaces, margins mostly entire, 5-6" long.

Fragrant flowers 3-4" across, mostly white with a blush of pink on the outer bottom of the strap shaped tepals, like M. stellata, but wider and usually longer, with 15 or more tepals.

Terminal buds on stems are larger than the laterals and are the flower buds for next year. They are about 1" long and very hairy.

Older specimens are beautifully branched and have smooth gray bark.

Misidentification:
Magnolia stellata most likely. M. stellata was one of the parents and seems to have contributed the strap-shaped petals as M. kobus has fewer and larger petals. There are several cultivars of this hybrid some being all white, some being pretty pink and this one being mostly white with a tinge of pink on the outer most petals (tepals). M. stellata also have more narrow leaves.

Location:
Aptos
423 Ewell Avenue
130 Sea Terrace Way Seacliff

Capitola
523 Del Monte Ave, Capitola