Magnolia Stellar Gem had a limited release in 2017 through selected independant garden centres. It is an interesting improvement on Starwars with a compact upright habit and a free flowering habit for both spring and summer.
Magnolia Stellar Gem is the latest release from Taranaki breeder Vance Hooper of Magnolia Grove. It was raised as a seedling of Starwars x Genie and flowered years from seed when a little over knee high. (New trees from seeds can often take up to seven or more years to first flower) It truly fits the guideline of a modern garden magnolia in that it is compact, relatively disease free, heavy flowering and produces flowers from the first year. The compact upright habit is reminiscent of the Genie parent, and the purplish pink pointed star flowers are reminiscent of Starwars. Medium sized foliage is also in scale to the size of the plant.