Magnolia vallartensis is a medium-sized tree, growing to about 15 meters tall.

[1] Magnolia vallartensis is native to a small area of Puerto Vallarta and Cabo Corrientes municipalities in the Pacific coastal lowlands of western Jalisco.

It grows on the upper edges of gallery forests along streams and rivers, between 100 and 1000 meters elevation.

[1] The species has a very limited range, and its extent of occurrence (EOO) is estimated to be less than 100 km2.

Other closely related species live in western Mexico, and constitute the Magnolia pacifica group – Magnolia pacifica from the seaward-facing mountains of Nayarit and western Jalisco, and Magnolia pugana from inland canyons and cloud forests in northern Jalisco and southern Zacatecas.