Thicket/ Sweet Bay

COMMON NAME: Sweet Bay

OTHER COMMON NAME(S): Laurel Magnolia, Swamp Magnolia, Swampbay, White-Laurel, Southern Sweetbay, Beaver Tree

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Magnolia virginiana

FAMILY: Magnoliaceae

COMMUNITY: Thicket

STATUS: Native   

LIFESPAN: Woody Shrub or Small Tree

HEIGHT: 30 feet

FLOWERING TIME: Late May to June

FRUITING TIME: Early August to October

DISTRIBUTION: Massachusetts to Florida ~ Statewide in New Jersey

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS: Leaves alternate, simple, entire, evergreen, 3-6 inches long, 1 ½ - 3 inches wide, dark lustrous green above, white-gray underside, become yellow-tinged before falling in early winter ~ Twigs slender, bright green and hairy when young, later bright red-brown ~ Buds somewhat silky, sparsely hairy ~ Flowers solitary, creamy-white, lemon-scented, 2-3 inches diameter, 9-12 petals, open in early summer, pleasant sweet fragrance ~ Fruit red cone, when mature bright red seeds are exposed and hung from cone on long thin cords ~ Bark smooth, gray, somewhat scaly with age

GENERAL INFORMATION: Sweet Bay grows in wet ground of low woods and swamps.  Flowers of the trees in this family are used for making perfume. The plant has medicinal uses; the oils have been used to prepare a muscle relaxant. Sweet Bay is fairly common in the pitch pine lowlands and hardwood swamps of New Jersey.  It can be found growing on rich hummocks and even in standing water.  It is also common in Atlantic white-cedar swamps, especially near the coast and near Cape May.  Sweet Bay is most evident in New Jersey when in bloom and later in the season when it is one of the few broadleaf plants with leaves.  By mid-winter these leaves have fallen.  In the southern US, Sweet Bay keeps its leaves all winter. Similar species are also found in New Jersey.  Umbrella Magnolia (Magnolia tripetala) is native to New Jersey, Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is an evergreen of the South sometimes cultivated in New Jersey, and Cucumber Magnolia (Magnolia acuminate) can be grown as an ornamental in New Jersey.  Sweet Bay is also grown as an ornamental.

Please note: While harvesting wild berries/fruit is permitted at Island Beach State Park, visitors must adhere to park regulations at all times and must not damage vegetation or go off designated trails.  This information is presented for educational purposes.