Phylogenetic analyses that use a morphological data set of living and fossil angiosperms and constrain the arrangement of extant taxa to backbone trees inferred from molecular data have strongly associated several mid-Cretaceous fossils with the order Magnoliales. These include Archaeanthus (late Albian, Kansas), which is either nested in or sister to crown group Magnoliaceae; Endressinia and Schenkeriphyllum (Aptian, Brazil), attached lower on the stem lineage of Magnoliaceae, which have a combination of magnoliaceous apomorphies such as sheathing leaf bases and plesiomorphies such as inner staminodes and a short receptacle; and Futabanthus (Coniacian, Japan), most likely a near-basal member of crown group Annonaceae. However, other putative fossil Magnoliales are weakly associated with the order, or not at all. Serialis and Riaselis, represented by isolated carpels and seeds from the Aptian-early Albian of Portugal, was assigned to Magnoliales based on seed anatomical characters. When both fossils are included in the analysis, their best arrangement is as two successive branches from the stem lineage of Magnoliaceae, but other positions near the base of Magnoliales and in the near-basal order Austrobaileyales are only one step less parsimonious. When Riaselis is added alone to the analysis, it has equally parsimonious positions in both Magnoliales and Austrobaileyales; when Serialis is added alone, its single most parsimonious position is in Austrobaileyales. These results reflect the independent origin of seed feaures in the two orders. Pecinovia, a staminate flower from the middle Cenomanian of Bohemia, was originally compared with Annonaceae. It has several most parsimonious positions, including three around the basal node of angiosperms, but none in Magnoliales; its best position in Magnoliales, sister to Myristicaceae, is one step worse. Cronquistiflora and Detrusandra, from the late Turonian-Coniacian of New Jersey, are bisexual flowers with numerous parts and a hypanthium. Depending on the backbone tree, Cronquistiflora has one most parsimonious position, sister to Eupomatia in Magnoliales, or this and additional positions in Magnoliales and Laurales. The best positions of Detrusandra are in Austrobaileyales and Laurales. These differing results are influenced by pollen characters: a continuous tectum and granular infratectum in Cronquistiflora, a reticulate tectum and columellae in Detrusandra. Another multiparted bisexual flower, Cecilanthus from the lower Cenomanian of Maryland, has equally parsimonious positions in Magnoliales and Nymphaeales. Although these results may seem discouraging, they do greatly restrict the number of potential systematic positions of the fossils. Furthermore, they are of evolutionary interest in highlighting morphological convergences between Magnoliales and the basal ANITA lines, as well as the presence in the mid-Cretaceous of extinct lines with character combinations no longer found in the living flora. Depending on the fossil in question, association with vegetative parts, complete flowers, pollen, or mature seeds could resolve these ambiguities.