Magnolia grandiflora (Southern Magnolia)

Native to the southeastern United States, from North Carolina south to Florida and west to Texas, this plant is an evergreen tree with large, fragrant white flowers. Its cone-shaped fruits open at maturity, exposing seeds that hang briefly from slender, silken threads before falling. Birds and mammals disperse most of the seeds; squirrels, opossums, quail and turkeys eat them. Its wood is sold with that of other magnolia species as magnolia lumber and used for furniture, pallets and veneer. Photographed in Bogotá, Colombia, and Florida.