Identifying Characteristics
| Habitat: | Sweetbay magnolia is found in swamps, wet soils, and along borders of streams and ponds. |
| Size/Form: | Sweetbay magnolia is a medium, evergreen tree that generally grows from 50' to 90' tall with an open crown of sparsely spreading branches. Outside of Florida, it is often less than 30' tall and is deciduous in the northern United States. |
| Bark: | The gray-brown bark is smooth, thin, and tight. |
| Leaves: | The leaves are simple, alternately arranged, oval to oblong, and 4" to 6" long with bluntly pointed tips. The thin, leathery leaves are shiny-green and smooth on the upper surface with fine, whitish hairs below. Distinct stipules encircle the twigs and leaf scars are often visible at the point where the leaves are attached. |
| Flowers: | The flowers are fragrant, showy, creamy-white blossoms that are visible in late spring and early summer. They are similar to but smaller than southern magnolia blossoms. |
| Fruit: | The fruit is an aggregate of follicles that mature in early autumn to release many showy, bright red seeds. |