Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden, South Africa

Common name: Tulpmagnolia, Saucer magnolia

Family: Magnoliaceae (Magnolia)

IUCN Red list: Not evaluated

Comments: Magnolia × soulangeana was first bred by French plantsman Étienne Soulange-Bodin (1774–1846), a retired cavalry officer in Napoleon's army, at his château de Fromont near Paris. He crossed Magnolia denudata with M. liliiflora in 1820, and was impressed the hybrids early flowering by 1826.
From France, the hybrid quickly entered cultivation in England, other parts of Europe, and North America. Plant breeders in many countries have continued to develop this magnolia, with over a hundred cultivars now known as named horticultural varieties.