Magnolia x 'Ann'

This early flowering deciduous magnolia was selected by the US National Arboretum for its red to purple 4″ diameter blossoms and compact behavior.

The “girl” magnolias are selections resulting from controlled crosses between one of two Magnolia liliiflora cultivars (‘Nigra’ and ‘Reflorescens’) and one of two Magnolia stellata cultivars (‘Rosea’ and ‘Waterlily’). The crosses were made at the U.S. National Arboretum in 1955 and 1956 by William F. Kosar and Dr. Francis de Vos. Ann was named in honor of one of Dr. de Vos’s daughters.