Magnolia x soulangeana ‘Alba’ produces candle-shaped flowers that are cream-white, with a pink-purple flush at the base and white interiors. These flowers bloom from an early age, and Magnolia x soulangeana ‘Alba’ is easy to cultivate. It forms a spreading tree and flowers in mid-spring. Magnolia x soulangeana is deciduous, not native to New Zealand, and a hybrid between Magnolia denudata and Magnolia liliiflora. Learn more about Magnolia x soulangeana. Magnolia x soulangeana probably occurred spontaneously in Japanese gardens or nurseries a long time ago. However, it was first recognised from deliberate crosses made by Étienne Soulange-Bodin (1774 – 1846). Étienne was a retired cavalry officer in Napoleon’s army who became a plantsman and gardener. He first made the Magnolia x soulangeana cross in 1820 at his home in Fromont, France. Magnolia x soulangeana ‘Alba’ was introduced in 1867 by Louis van Houtte’s nursery in Belgium.