KATES CABIN: SWIMMING IN A SEA OF PURPLE IN THE AIR!

Hi Everybody!!
Swim on in to this incredible 'Sea of Purple' Blooms! These Tulip Magnolia fuzzy buds from last week are now open and blowing in the spring wind. Unlike other stately magnolias, these small trees loose their leaves for winter and in the spring, the flowers appear before the new leaves. I have many small trees and one big tree shown in the photo parade below. You will see the flowers have opened and provide a stark contrast to the gloomy days of winter. I love this burst of life and hope you will feel purple, also! Enjoy!

Link to G+ Photo Album:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117645114459863049265/albums/6123501695108121889

For more info, see complete Wikipedia Page at the following link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_liliiflora

Magnolia liliiflora (variously known by many names, including Mulan magnolia, Purple magnolia, Red magnolia, Lily magnolia, Tulip magnolia, Jane magnolia and Woody-orchid) is a small tree native to southwest China (in Sichuan and Yunnan), but cultivated for centuries elsewhere in China and also Japan. It was first introduced to English-speaking countries from cultivated Japanese origins, and is thus also sometimes called Japanese magnolia, though it is not native to Japan. It is now also planted as an ornamental in North America and Europe, though rather less often than its popular hybrid (see below). The name Yulania liliiflora is a synonym.

It is a deciduous shrub, exceptionally a small tree, to 4m tall (smaller than most other magnolias), and blooms profusely in early spring with large pink to purple showy flowers, before the leaf buds open.

Mulan magnolia

A Magnolia liliiflora flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Magnoliids
Order:	Magnoliales
Family:	Magnoliaceae
Genus:	Magnolia
Subgenus:	M. subg. Yulania
Section:	M. sect. Yulania subsect. Yulania
Species:	M. liliiflora