Distribution:  Temperate northern hemisphere with high Asian diversity - 3 genera with 6 species in Texas.

Floral structure:

Significant features:  leaves are simple, alternate, and stipulate with the stipules fugacious (falling early) and leaving a stipule scar that circles the shoot at the node (distinctive vegetative feature of the family). Flowers shoot-like with numerous, separate parts.

Liriodendron tulipfera - shoot with stipules (upper leaves)

Magnolia soulangiana - shoot-like, solitary flower (with red anthers)

Magnolia grandiflora - with apocarpous gynoecium (yellow receptacle=perianth, red=androecium) well past anthesis with styles of each carpel withering
 
 
 

Magnolia grandiflora - with apocarpous gynoecium mature to form an aggregate of follicles - mature ovules (seeds) offered to dispersers by hanging on a thin funiculus
 
 
 

More information on the Magnoliaceae