Sweetbay magnolia

''Magnolia virginiana'', most commonly known as sweetbay magnolia, or merely sweetbay , is a member of the magnolia family, Magnoliaceae. It was the first magnolia to be scientifically described under modern rules of botanical nomenclature, and is the type species of the genus ''Magnolia''; as ''Magnolia'' is also the type genus of all flowering plants , this species in a sense typifies all flowering plants.