The sweet bay magnolia is a flowering plant native to the southeastern United States and Atlantic coast. It's a seedling selection that can be evergreen in the South and deciduous in the harsher winters of the North. It has oblong-lanceolate green leaves with a silvery underside giving it a shimmering effect. Its late spring flowers are creamy-white and fragrant, and it produces red fruit in the late summer to early fall. Maturity: approx. 10'-20' (North) / approx. 60' (South) Zones: 5b-9