Trees We Can See
Artist restorer Denise Cook says, “Magnolia trees are very primitive plants. They are closely related to other primitive plants such as buttercup flowers and water lilies. Magnolia is one of the most ancient of trees. It was food for dinosaurs. That’s why so many of the species are so tall and carry leaves high up their branches. They existed before the continents drifted apart and are found in a band around the earth from Asia to the Americas. There’s a really lovely magnolia tree from the US in the Chelsea Physic Garden.”