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From the CuratorMagnolias from the Mists of TimeExcerpted from our member publication Leaflet, coming Spring 2012 
Magnolias have long been the signature bloom of San Francisco Botanical Garden, and the importance of our collection here has been increasingly recognized. In 2007, Botanic Garden Conservation International ranked our magnolia collection as the fourth most important collection for conservation in the world. (The first three are in China, where the majority of magnolias grow.) In late 2011, we were officially recognized as an accredited member the Multisite Magnolia Collection, part of the North American Plant Collections Consortium. This honor comes with the responsibility to collect and preserve these magnificent plants and the genetic resources they represent; we have been doing that all along, since Eric Walther planted the first magnolias here in 1937. Individual Trees of NoteMany Asian magnolias are deciduous; the bare trees all around the Garden put on a spectacular display when covered in pink and white blooms. A 70-foot deciduous tree covered in 10-inch bright flowers is an unforgettable sight of great beauty. Magnolia campbellii is the most well known of these, and including the original tree, we are fortunate to have 11 mature specimens. Among these is a very special white form grown from seed purchased from G. Ghose and Company in India in the 1930s, grown at the Golden Gate Park nursery, and planted here in 1940 (by Walther). This particular form has reflexed and not erect tepals. This plant was given the cultivar name 'Strybing White,' and was eventually widely distributed; it is well-known today in international dendrological circles. It is the largest magnolia at SFBG and towers to 80 feet or more. Another exceptional plant is our Magnolia sprengeri var. diva. This pink-flowered tree is one of only a few mature specimens known in cultivation. It grows right next to the endangered Magnolia dawsoniana, another 50-foot tall tree that is often covered with six-inch clear pink flowers. Magnolia sargentiiana var. robusta is still another large flowered deciduous tree, this one with very deep rose flowers, which rivals all others in abundance and size. Magnolia stellata and its varieties are smaller trees with white or pink tinged flowers and is a very useful deciduous tree for smaller gardens. Our mature specimens have grown to 25 feet and gracefully lace our Asian woodlands in four-inch white flowers as early as late January. Don Mahoney
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