Native Tree of the Year
Adkins Arboretum’s Native Tree of the Year highlights the ecological and ornamental value of native trees to promote their protection in natural areas and use in cultivated landscapes.
2026 Native Tree of the Year: Sweetbay Magnolia, Magnolia virginiana
If you happen to pass by a sweetbay magnolia tree and overlook its beautiful creamy blooms, their lemony-vanilla scent is likely to catch up with you and draw you back for a deeper inhale. I could relax under a sweetbay all day, possibly because their smell reminds me of the one that grew so tall and bloomed so vigorously at my parents’ house growing up. The one my husband and I planted many years ago at our home in Talbot County now reaches level with the rooftop and scent from the blooms wafts in through an open second story window. At Adkins, you’ll be greeted by sweetbay magnolias as you make your way across the Wetland Bridge to the Visitor's Center. More can be found encircling the wetland below and downstream in the slope forest plant community along Blockston Branch.
This slender and often multi-stemmed tree tends to be semi-evergreen on Maryland's Eastern Shore, however it can be evergreen or deciduous depending on winter conditions where it grows. Sweetbays can be found from Massachusetts to Florida along the east coast and westward along the gulf coast to Texas. Typical mature size reaches 20–30' tall by 15' wide, although they can grow larger in favorable conditions. The trunks have smooth gray bark, while the twigs are a verdant shade of green. Polished leaves are bright to dark green have silvery undersides you’ll notice when they move in the breeze. During May or June, a succession of flowers will bloom for a few days each, closing up overnight. By Fall, seed pods will open up and dangle bright red seeds from each follicle.
With leaves that are smaller and easier to manage than those of the popular southern magnolia, which is not quite native to Maryland, the sweetbay magnolia can be planted more readily in a landscape setting. Its medium to fast growth rate means that you’ll see it start to fill out and bear fragrant blooms within just a few seasons. While it can tolerate soils that are saturated or quite wet, it also grows just fine in average soils and can also tolerate occasional drought or mild salinity. It is also known to be deer-resistant. Preferred light conditions are full or partial sun. The sweetbay magnolia is a versatile tree that may be planted singly as a specimen or foundation plant, or in groupings along edges of wetlands or woodlands. It is also a wonderful choice for pollinator gardens and rain gardens and has earned a place on the Maryland DNR's Recommended Tree List.
Another common name for the sweetbay is beaver tree, as it is apparently relished by beavers, who were lured to traps baited by early settlers with roots of the sweetbay. The foliage is used by several species of birds to build nests , and is also enjoyed by caterpillars of the eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly and various species of moths, for whom this serves as a host plant. Some fruit-eating species of birds will pick the red, thin-fleshed seeds that dangle from the follicles, digest them, and then disperse them in the wild.
For those interested in gardening with the sweetbay and other magnolias, Barbara Ellis’ Chesapeake Gardening & Landscaping shares photos and ideas to get you started. If you’re curious about the natural history of magnolias, David George Haskell’s How Flowers Made Our World addresses how these plants fit into plant evolution, their floral aromas, and their use by insects and birds.
Leslie Hunter Cario
Director of Horticulture and Natural Lands
