The delicate pink-hued magnolia blooms herald the start of spring, and also harbour a range of fragrant and medicinal chemical compounds. Some of these compounds are even unique to magnolia trees and not found in any other species. This infographic takes a closer look at these compounds and their uses.
We have not one, but two magnolia trees in our garden. This fact makes it all the more surprising that, until this year, I hadn’t known that the petals of magnolia trees are edible. My wife, particularly enthused by this knowledge, now delights in plucking magnolia petals from trees we come across in public and nibbling on them, to the complete bemusement of bystanders.
If the edibility of magnolia petals is also new information for you, I can tell you that the flavour is an interesting cross between cardamom and ginger. More interestingly, different species of magnolia possess variations of this flavour. Sadly, the Magnolia soulangeana we have in our garden isn’t one of the most palatable varieties, but we’ve successfully pilfered petals from a friend’s Magnolia grandiflora to make magnolia cordial, pickled magnolia leaves and a Kilner jar’s worth of magnolia gin.
Though not one of the compounds explicitly shown in the graphic, 1,8-cineole is a terpene that is shared between magnolia and cardamom, and might explain some of the similarities in flavour. As is apparent from the fact that the flavours of different magnolia petals can vary, the chemical composition of their aromas can differ, too. Aldehydes make a significant contribution, as well as a rotating cast of terpenes.
The compounds contributing to magnolia petal colour are a little more predictable. Generally, these are derivatives of the anthocyanins cyanidin and peonidin, with varying sugar molecules hanging off the core anthocyanin structure. These anthocyanins are pH sensitive, changing colour at different acidity or alkalinity, though I’ve yet to try to see what range of colours you can get with magnolia. Sadly it’s not one that’s been tested by the #GardenIndicators crowd so I’ll have to try it before this year’s blooms fade.
Magnolia also has interesting medical links. Magnalol is a compound obviously named for its presence in magnolia bark. The structurally similar honokiol may be less obviously linked, but is named after a Japanese magnolia variety. Both compounds have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancer and neuroprotective properties, and are behind magnolia’s use in traditional Chinese medicine.
There are even medicinally interesting compounds which are completely unique to magnolia. Researchers at Kew Gardens in London, UK, discovered that Magnolia salicifolia contains phenylethanoid glycoside compounds called yulanosides never before found in other plant species. These compounds have anti-allergenic and anti-inflammatory effects.
So, next time you walk past a blooming magnolia in springtime, you might pause to consider whether it contains yet more medicinal compounds we’re yet to identify. Or maybe you might just pluck a petal to nibble on!
References and further reading
- Magnolia officinalis L. Bark: Review of Its Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Toxicology – P. Luo et al., Molecules (2018)
- Magnolia Flower: Ancient Tree, Modern Medicine – M. Devi and S. K. Singh, Just Agriculture (2023)
- Comparison of petal color and anthocyanins of five Magnolia species – L. Zhang et al., Ornamental Plant Research (2025)
- Characterization of Floral Volatiles from Four Magnolia Species – J. Yan et al., HortScience (2019)
- Magnolias: molecules and memories – Kew Royal Botanic Gardens (2022)
