This large-leaved tree is in the Magnolia family. It produces a contorted, pinkish-red, “cucumber-shaped” fruit and has leaves that turn yellow in the fall before all dropping to the ground at once. The tree also has slightly fragrant greenish-yellow flowers, yet they are not as showy as the more tropical southern magnolias. The seeds of the cucumber tree are eaten by several species of birds and small mammals and some birds also eat the young fruit. Deer sometimes browse the trees’ twigs, leaves and buds.