Magnificent Magnolias

Umbrella tree (Magnolia tripetala)

"Though this tree grows naturally over a great extent of country, it is not met with at every step in the woods like the Witch Hazel, the Dogwood, and a certain species of Oak: it appears only in situations perfectly adapted to its growth, which are always shady, and where the soil is deep, strong, and fertile."

This illustration and the description are from volume two of "The North American sylva ; or, A description of the forest trees of the United States, Canada, and Nova Scotia ... to which is added a description of the most useful of the European forest trees," by François André Michaux, 1770-1855 (Published by D. Rice and A. N. Hart, 1859-1865)