Bracken Brown Beauty Magnolia

Botanical Name: Magnolia grandiflora ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’

Common Name: Bracken’s Brown Beauty Magnolia

Mature Height and Width:
30–50' tall × 15–25' wide

Growth Habit:
Broadly pyramidal to upright-oval evergreen tree with strong central leader and layered horizontal branching. Denser and more cold tolerant than species type. Moderate growth rate.

Foliage Description:
Large, leathery, glossy dark green leaves with distinct rusty-brown indumentum on undersides. Leaves are elliptic, thick-textured, and remain evergreen year-round in Zones 7–9 (semi-evergreen in protected Zone 6 sites).

Flower Description:
Large, creamy white, cup-shaped fragrant flowers 6–8" wide. Petals thick and waxy. Blooms appear singly at branch terminals rather than in clusters.

Bloom Time:
Late spring through early summer, with sporadic rebloom into mid-summer.

Fall Color:
Evergreen; no fall color.

Light Requirements:
Full sun to partial shade. Best structure and bloom density in full sun.

Hardiness Zone:
USDA Zones 6b–9 (notably more cold tolerant than many Magnolia grandiflora cultivars).

Notable Landscape Uses:
Evergreen screening tree; lawn specimen; vertical anchor; privacy buffer; southern-style architectural planting; windbreak in protected sites.

Deer Resistance:
Moderate to High
Thick leathery foliage is generally avoided once established.