Love magnolias? Thank a beetle.

Hello, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Magnolias are ancient trees; they’ve been here over ninety five million years years. Our first idea for insect pollination is usually bees, but those insects didn’t come along until much later than magnolias, which rely on beetles for that function. The flowers of magnolias are peculiar: male and female parts open at different times to ensure cross pollination. After getting dusted with pollen while visiting previously opened flowers, beetles come to a just-opened flower and spread that pollen as they feed on nectar and fertilize the receptive female flower parts. When night comes, the entire flower closes, trapping those beetles, and then male flower parts (the anthers) open, covering the insect with fresh pollen. The flower opens again in the morning and the beetle flies to another flower to pollinate it.