A Magnolia Tree Grows in the Bronx... Actually the Bronx has many, many, many magnolia trees. We went walking around with a friend last weekend and saw magnolias peeping out from back alleys, standing around in groups behind large apartment buildings, or displaying their beauty on wide busy thoroughfares. One was blossoming in the center of a weedy vacant lot with a black cat lounging underneath.
Even Saint Brendan the Navigator had his own personal magnolia. 
At the corner news stand I was not really surprised to see a small selection of fragrances on display behind the register. The newsagent's personal favorites? That's easy ~ he has two grown daughters ~ one wears Angel and one wears Escada. So those are his favorites. I asked him if any of the grand old drugstores with perfume counters still existed in the borough, and he said they had pretty much all been replaced by the characterless CVS stores.The magnolia was named for Pierre Magnol, a French botanist.
