Magnolia, Jane

'Jane' is a cross between M. liliiflora 'Reflorescens' and M. stellata 'Waterlily'. It is part of the Little Girl Series ('Ann', 'Betty', 'Jane', 'Judy', 'Pinkie', 'Randy', 'Ricki' and 'Susan') of hybrid magnolias that were developed at the National Arboretum in the mid-1950s by Francis DeVos and William Kosar. Plants in this series flower about 2-4 weeks later than M. stellata and M. × soulangiana, thus reducing the risk of damage to flowers from late spring frosts. 'Jane' is primarily noted for its compact, upright habit, large reddish-purple flowers with white interiors and late bloom (mid-April to early May). It is a slow-growing, multi-stemmed, small, deciduous tree that typically rises over time to 20-25' tall with a spread to 15-20' wide. The cup-shaped flowers (to 4" diameter) are reddish-purple with white interiors. Flowers bloom shortly before the foliage begins to appear. Flowers may sporadically repeat bloom in mid-summer. Ovate leaves (to 6" long) emerge with copper-red tints in spring, turn dark green by late spring and finally acquire yellow to bronze-copper tones in fall.