The magnolia is one of the oldest plant species, with fossils dating back 58 million years. In ancient China, depending on the variety, they were called Yu-lan, or Mu-lan. The Japanese called them Shidekobushi. To the Aztecs, they were known as Eloxochitl. In Martinique, the plant was known as Talauma. While in Martinique botanist Charles Plumier wrote about it in 1703 and named the flower after Pierre Magnol, a 17th century French botanist.
