The Kobus Magnolia (Magnolia kobus ‘de Candolle’) is one of the earliest Kobus magnolias to bloom in the spring. This plant may not bloom until it is 25 years or older.M. kobus is similar to the Magnoliastellata, except that it is larger. The specific epithet comes from the Japanese word kobushi, “fist” in reference to the flower bud which resembles a fist in shape. In Japan the wood is used for furniture and building.

Specimen Provenance:

Common name: Kobus Magnolia

Species Origin: Japan, South Korea.

New Jersey Status: USDA Introduced

Habit: 30 – 65’ tall, small to medium tree or large shrub broadly conical, multistemmed.

Habitat: Zones 4 -7.

Trunk/Stem: Bark dark gray and smooth. Stem with brownish splotches; vertical grayish lenticels; strong pungent odor when bruised.

Leaves: Deciduous, Simple, Alternate. Elliptic to obovate, 6” long and 3 ½” wide; tapered at base; rounded at the with an abrupt point (mucronate) tip; blade dark green smooth above; paler green below with hair over veins. Margins are entire. The petiole is ¾”

Flowers: Perfect. Flowers usually held horizontally 4” across, creamy white, slightly fragrant; 6 petal-like tepals and 3 smaller outside sepal-like tepals; flowers open in early spring before the leaves.

Fruits and seeds: Fruit is a cylindrical pink to red cluster of small red follicles(pods), 4” long from which red seeds hang when ripe.