Magnolia is a

color Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...

named after the flowering plant of the genus ''

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...

''. As magnolias have flowers of more than one color, mainly cream or pale purple, ''magnolia'' may refer to different colors in different countries. An early use of ''magnolia'' as a colour name in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

was in 1880, describing it as a ''"tint of cream-color"''. In the UK, magnolia is a creamy colour defined by

British Standard British Standards (BS) are the standards produced by the BSI Group which is incorporated under a royal charter and which is formally designated as the national standards body (NSB) for the UK. The BSI Group produces British Standards under the a ...

BS 08B15, with the sRGB value (244, 233, 216) and CMYK (Coated) value (0, 5, 25, 0). Although the interiors of houses in the UK have commonly been painted in pale "stone colours" since the 18th century, the use of the name "magnolia" only dates from the 1950s. The

Australian Standard Standards Australia is a standards organisation established in 1922 and is recognised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Australian government as the primary non-government standards development body in Australia. It is a c ...

AS 2700 definition of magnolia is noticeably more saturated than the British Standard one although its hue and luminosity are nearly the same: sRGB(240,223,196), HSV(79,16,90) An alternative definition of the colour was published in America in 1925. Maerz and Paul's ''A Dictionary of Colour'' depicts three shades which are described as magnolia: However ''magnolia'' does not appear to be in common use as a colour name in the USA: the UK English Cambridge Dictionary entry for magnolia defines it both as "a type of tree with large, usually white or pink flowers" and "a pale cream colour", but its US English entry refers only to the tree.

Magnolia in human culture

Real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

* In the UK, magnolia paint is a neutral to warm cream, noted as being the 'standard' colour of household paint, other than white. It is a ubiquitous colour which is available in most types of paint. * In ''

Sleeping Murder ''Sleeping Murder: Miss Marple's Last Case'' is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in October 1976 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edit ...

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

has her main character, who is a newcomer to England, the

New Zealander New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

Gwenda Reed, lament the use of this colour as she views houses for sale: ''"It was in quite good condition, but why were people like Mrs. Hengrave so fond of that mustard-cum-biscuit shade of wall paint?"''''Sleeping Murder'' (chapter 1), by Agatha Christie, publ. Collins Crime Club, 1976

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magnolia (Color) Shades of white