Black Tulip Magnolia               mag-NO-li-a

• Broadleaf deciduous tree, slender, multi-branched to 15 to 20 ft (4.5-6 m) tall and 6 to 10 ft (1.8-3 m) wide.  Medium green leaves 15 by 10 cm  Flowers are a deep burgundy, tulip shape, 15 cm across, appear before the leaves.  Reportedly young trees may produce paler flowers.
• Sun to light shade.
• Hardy to USDA Zone 5    Black Tulip™ is a Jury Hybrid [Tikorangi The Jury Garden, New Zealand] and is sometimes listed as a selection of Magnolia x soulangiana, but its background is more complex than that.  It is the result of a cross, made by Mark Jury, of 'Vulcan' as the seed parent and possibly 'Iolanthe' as the pollen parent (Gardiner, 2000).  The background of these parents includes a number of Magnolia species.  The Tikorangi website states that if you line up a Black Tulip™ flower beside a good 'Vulcan' flower, there is not much difference in color.   What makes Black Tulip™ appear so dark on the tree is that the petals (or, more correctly, tepals) are so thick that no light can shine through. The cultivar name of Black Tulip™ is 'Jurmag1'.
• Oregon State Univ. campus: two in front of Weatherford Hall, planted 2008