cucumber tree
Magnolia acuminata
USDA zones3 to 8
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles moderate to wet soil
Size40 to 70 feet tall20 to 35 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Greenish yellow
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Cucumber tree (Magnolia acuminata) is a tree for specimen planting and low maintenance landscapes. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and average to wet, loamy or clay soil. Its greenish flowers and cucumber-like fruit grow at the top of the tree, so people often miss them. Deer tend to pass it by. Fallen fruit feeds towhees and other ground-feeding birds.
Pairs well with Canadian hemlock, Cinnamon fern, Bloodroot, and Limelight hydrangea.
Native range
Eastern North America.