Flower profile

Sweetbay magnolia

Magnolia virginiana

Native in the lower 48

Sweetbay magnolia is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–June.

17states

4of our state lists

9,155U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alabama, Delaware, Mississippi, South Carolina

Quick look

Magnolia virginiana, most commonly known as sweetbay magnolia, or merely sweetbay, is a member of the magnolia family, Magnoliaceae. It was the first magnolia to be scientifically described under modern rules of botanical nomenclature, and is the type species of the genus Magnolia; as Magnolia is also the type genus of all flowering plants (magnoliophytes), this species in a sense typifies all flowering plants.
From Wikipedia's article Magnolia virginiana, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Magnoliaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a tree with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 17 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and Delaware. ^NatureServe
In Mississippi, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as white. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as summer. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 60 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 796 research-grade sightings of it in Alabama, ranking #69 among the 111 flowers on our Alabama list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 466 research-grade sightings of it in Mississippi, ranking #40 among the 110 flowers on our Mississippi list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 408 research-grade sightings of it in South Carolina, ranking #97 among the 111 flowers on our South Carolina list. ^iNaturalist

Sweetbay magnolia gift ideas

Handmade sweetbay magnolia gifts from independent makers.

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (291 records)

Bloom time in each of our 4 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Alabama	Native	few records	796
Mississippi	Native	April–May	466
South Carolina	Native	few records	408
Delaware	Native	few records	174

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Carolina.
Delaware: Not listed Not on Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list). NatureServe: S5, secure in Delaware. ^{DE rare plants 2024}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: MA (S1), NY (S1), PA (S2), TN (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Magnolia stellata (“Magnolia Bush”), as non-toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records sweetbay magnolia in 17 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia; District of Columbia.

Alabama counties with USDA records: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Chambers, Chilton, Choctaw, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Dallas, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Lamar, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Washington.

Mississippi counties with USDA records: Adams, Amite, Attala, Clarke, Copiah, Covington, Forrest, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Itawamba, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lafayette, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Marion, Monroe, Neshoba, Newton, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Scott, Smith, Stone, Tippah, Tishomingo, Walthall, Washington, Wayne, Wilkinson, Winston.

South Carolina counties with USDA records: Aiken, Allendale, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda, Sumter, Williamsburg.

More Alabama flowers

Magnolias

Magnolia

★ LA state flowerIntroduced

🌼 Blooms: April–June

American beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

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🌼 Blooms in AL: May–July

American pokeweed

Phytolacca americana

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🌼 Blooms in AL: May–September

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile MAVI2.
iNaturalist, Magnolia virginiana: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Magnolia virginiana (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
Delaware: Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list).
Delaware: Delaware Invasive Plant List (3 Del. Admin. Code § 806-3.0).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Magnolia virginiana (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension; ASPCA.
Photo: mfeaver via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.