Flowering shrub

Banana shrub

Magnolia figo

Banana shrub (Magnolia figo) is a shrub in the Magnoliaceae family.

🌷 Flowering shrub

Banana shrub is a popular flowering shrub. It's on our flower lists for 10 states.

–states where USDA records it

10Bloomipedia state lists include it

56U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 23, 2026. Planted garden shrubs are mostly excluded from research grade.

On our lists for: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas

Quick look

Magnolia figo is a species of flowering plant in the family Magnoliaceae. This evergreen tree is sometimes referred to by the common names banana shrub, and port wine magnolia. It grows to 3–4 metres tall.
From Wikipedia's article Magnolia figo, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Magnoliaceae family. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 20 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #118 among the 151 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 19 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #115 among the 154 flowers on our Louisiana list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 5 research-grade sightings of it in South Carolina, ranking #138 among the 171 flowers on our South Carolina list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (5 records)

Bloom time in the 10 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Florida	🌷 Garden	few records (3)	20
Louisiana	🌷 Garden	few records (2)	19
South Carolina	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	5
Texas	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	4
Georgia	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	3
Alabama	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	2
Mississippi	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	2
North Carolina	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	1
California	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Hawaii	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)

Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}

NatureServe

Unknown We couldn't find this name in NatureServe Explorer. ^NatureServe

State rare plant lists

Not listed Not on the official rare plant list in 6 of our 10 states.

See each state

Florida: Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
North Carolina: Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
California: Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). ^{CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)}
Hawaii: Not listed Not on Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife. ^{HAR 13-107}

Louisiana

No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks.

South Carolina

No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead.

Alabama

No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead.

Mississippi

No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead.

Checked October 23, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page)) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Magnolia stellata (“Magnolia Bush”), as non-toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.