pronounced: mag-no-lee-AY-see-eye
The family is named for Pierre Magnol (1638-1715), a French botanist. It contains at lease two genera and upwards of 250 species, among them many handsome fragrant-smelling trees and shrubs. Most of its members have simple leaves and a long cone-like floral axis whose flowers have six tepals, and many stamens spirally arranged. Some members have useful timber, some yield perfume, and others provide ingredients used in folk medicine.
