The genus Magnolia is a globally diverse, iconic and highly threatened tree group. Magnolia species are key ecological components of their forest habitats and are of integral economic and cultural importance throughout their ranges in North America and the Neotropical and Indomalayan realms. Widespread efforts to assess the extinction risk of Magnolia species and growing contributions by botanic gardens to databases on ex situ conservation provide opportunities to synthesize data and prioritize species of concern. This report implements a conservation gap analysis methodology by surveying the in situ and ex situ status of species as well as conservation activities and needs globally.

This global analysis includes 336 Magnolia (sensu lato) species, with taxonomy following the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families and expert input. Diversity centers for Magnolia are in China, Vietnam, and Colombia. However, there is still much uncertainty regarding the native distribution of many Magnolia species. Global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Categories and Criteria are used throughout and a summary of current assessment statistics is presented. Over 170 Magnolia species are assessed as threatened and over 100 species are currently assessed as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List.