Magnolias
by Kay Novy
Title
Magnolias
Artist
Kay Novy
Medium
Painting - Painting, Watercolor
Description
Honored to be in an "Elite Feature" (watercolor art and digital art) in the "Art District" group!
Magnolia was named by the Swedish botanist Carl Linneaus in 1737 in honour of the French botanist Pierre Magnol (1638-1715). The plant which Magnol had described is that we now know as Magnolia virginiana an evergreen American species which despite its name was already growing in Europe by the mid eighteenth century.
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The earliest western record of magnolias in cultivation is found in Aztec history at the time of Montezuma where there are illustrations of what we now know to be the very rare Magnolia dealbata. This plant survives only in a few places in the wild and, although climate change is largely to blame, the natives cut the flowers for festivals and this prevents the plants seeding. It was found by a Spanish explorer called Hernandez who was commissioned by Philip II of Spain and whose work was published in 1651.
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Magnolias are however one of the most primitive plants in evolutionary history and fossil records show that magnolias once existed in Europe, North America and Asia over 100 million years ago. Today they are indigenous only in Southern China and the Southern United States. There are about 80 species of magnolia of which roughly half are tropical. The genus magnolia is the largest within the Magnoliacae but there are also 9 other linked genera which include Liriodendron (1 species only), Michelia (45 species) and Manglietia (25 species).
After the latest reclassification of Magnoliacae, Michelias and Manglietias are now all renamed as magnolias. Astonishingly one of the closest genetic relations to the magnolia is the buttercup.
Uploaded
December 9th, 2013
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Comments (89)
Joyce Dickens
This is so gorgeous dear Kay; will certainly be an embellishment for your buyer's wall; congratulations!!
Kay Novy replied:
Thanks so much for the lovely compliments on my painting, Joyce! Much appreciated!