The Magnoliaceae is a family of about 200 species of trees and shrubs that usually have large flowers. Certain of the features of this family indicate that it is a fairly primitive one. Among these features are the lack of differentiation between sepals and petals, and the arrangement of stamens and pistils in spirals on a conical receptacle rather than in rings. There are fossilized specimens identified as being in this family dating back almost 100 million years. It is a very widely spread family, ranging from North and Central America, the Caribbean and tropical South America all the way to India, Indochina, China, Japan and Korea. Alternate, simple, petiolate leaves are characteristic of the family, and many species have fragrant flowers. Magnolia is the largest genus and is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol. Magnolia grandiflora is the state tree of Mississippi.