southern magnolia
- noun
- /ˈsaʊðərn mæɡˈnoʊliə/
- US
:
magnolia del sur
- Southern magnolia, with its large, glossy, leathery, evergreen leaves, blooms in May with the largest flowers of all magnolias—up to ten inches across.
Examples
-
Among the trees are American elm, cabbage palm, live oak, pignut hickory, southern magnolia, and sugarberry.
Academic text (2010) -
The southern magnolia is known for its stunning, fragrant white flowers that bloom in late spring.
-
In many southern gardens, the southern magnolia adds beauty with its glossy leaves and large blossoms.
-
A southern magnolia can grow quite tall and provides ample shade during the hot summer months.
Synonyms
An evergreen tree with large glossy leaves and big white fragrant flowers
A large tree with shiny leaves and big white flowers that smell sweet
A large evergreen tree with shiny leaves and big fragrant white flowers
A tree that keeps its leaves all year with large shiny leaves and big white fragrant flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward noun phrase combining 'southern' (from the south) with 'magnolia' (a type of tree), so its meaning as a magnolia associated with the south is directly derivable from the constituents. This modifier+noun pattern indicating geographic variety is cross-linguistically common, making it immediately understandable to learners who know both words.
Etymology
Southern magnolia is the name for a large magnolia tree that grows in the southern United States. The word magnolia comes from the name of a French plant scientist, 'Magnol', so the name helps you remember it is a magnolia tree from the south with big shiny leaves and large white flowers.
