Cucumber Tree

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Papilio glaucus, Callosamia promethea, Morrisonia latex, Archips magnoliana, Endopiza liriodendrana, Phyllocnistis magnoliella
S14 NHM HOSTS records; Papilio palamedes excluded (southern US only)
❄️ Winter Food Source: Red seeds in aggregate fruit eaten by ground-feeding birds including towhees; Ivory-billed Woodpecker and Red-eyed Vireo recorded feeding on Magnolia fruit. Seeds are suspended by thread-like structures from the aggregate fruit in late summer to autumn, providing a conspicuous food source for forest birds and small mammals.
S57 avian diet genus-level; S10 seeds eaten by grackles and forest birds; S4 fruits forage for towhees and ground-feeding birds

Proximity Score: 1
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: S
CEC Eco-Regions: 8 – Eastern Temperate Forests, 8.1 – Mixed Wood Plains, 8.1.1 – Eastern Great Lakes and Hudson Lowlands
Rarity Notes: SARA Schedule 1 Endangered (listed 2003-06-05), COSEWIC Endangered. NatureServe global rank G5 (secure globally), national rank N2 in Canada. Ontario S2 (Imperiled). The only Magnolia species native to Canada, restricted to the Carolinian zone of southern Ontario. IUCN Least Concern globally but critically rare at the northern edge of its range.
S26 SARA Endangered Schedule 1; S22 G5, N2, S2-ON, COSEWIC Endangered
Rarity Ranks: ON S2 – Imperiled
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A large deciduous tree of rich mesic woodlands, lower wooded slopes, and stream banks in the Appalachian and Great Lakes regions. In Ontario, restricted to the Carolinian zone where it occurs on well-drained, slightly acidic soils on wooded slopes above the flood zone. SARA-listed as Endangered in Canada; the only Magnolia native to the country. Typically found as scattered individuals or small groups in mixed deciduous forest with oak, hickory, and beech associates.
S10 rich mesic woodlands, wooded slopes; S4 rich wooded slopes, stream banks, uplands; S26 SARA Endangered; S1 native ON only

Roles: Fortress/Barrier
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: thorns? (supporting signal only)]
Notes: The disease-resistant root system makes this species valuable as rootstock for ornamental magnolias. As a canopy-layer tree in permaculture design, provides overhead structure in mesic woodland guilds. Tolerates atmospheric pollution and can be cultivated north of its natural range (hardy to Zone 3-4). The brittle branches require sheltered positioning away from high winds.
S29 rootstock, pollution tolerant, sheltered position; S4 Zone 3-8

Category: Analgesic, Antidiarrheal, Gastrointestinal Aid, Respiratory Aid, Toothache Remedy, Anthelmintic, Venereal Aid, Antiperiodic, Tonic
S28 Moerman categories; S29 PFAF medicinal categories
Notes: Cherokee used bark infusion for stomachache, cramps, and as compound medicine for bloody flux (antidiarrheal). Hot bark infusion snuffed for sinus problems and held in mouth for toothache. Iroquois used inner bark infusion for toothache and compound decoction for worms from venereal disease. PFAF reports bark tea used historically as quinine substitute for malaria (antiperiodic), and as aromatic, diaphoretic, laxative, stimulant, and tonic. Bark harvested in autumn; does not store well. Fruit tea used as tonic for general debility and stomach ailments.
S28 Cherokee and Iroquois uses; S29 antiperiodic, malaria substitute, bark and fruit tea

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: PFAF lists no known edible uses (edibility rating 0/5). USDA rates human palatability as None. LBJ Wildflower Center notes flower buds and flowers may have been edible and provided a minor food source to First Nations, but this is not well documented. Moerman NAEB records no food-category uses.
S29 None known edible; S11 Palatable Human=No; S4 minor food source note; S28 no Food category