Magnolia Albatross

Magnolia Albatross

The flowers are pure white inside with a green tinge near the bottom on the outside and are between 23 to 30 cm across. The stamens have pink filaments (stalk) and crimson anthers. The teardrop shaped leaves have a deep green upper surface and are paler underneath.

Season of Interest
For a short period in springtime this small tree is awash with the large white flowers. As with other spring-flowering magnolias ‘Albatross’ is deciduous.
 
Grown from seed collected at Trewithen in 1970 by the head gardener Michael Taylor, this specimen was given to Peter Borlase then head gardener at Lanhydrock. Planted out as a 1 m tall multi-stemmed plant in 1974 it was reduced to a single stem to concentrate its growth. ‘Albatross’ first flowered here in April 1981 and is a vigorous hybrid (Magnolia cylindrica x Magnolia x veitchii ‘Peter Veitch’).
 
Peter Borlase developed the magnolia collection at Lanhydrock and registered Magnolia ‘Albatross’, M sprengeri var. diva ‘Lanhydrock’ and M campbellii subsp mollicomata ‘Peter Borlase’ with the International Magnolia Society in 1992.