if deciduous, maybe magnolia stellata (star magnolia).

Here is a link that might be useful: magnolia stellata

The hints would be what it does, not where it is. Evergreen? Deciduous? Spring bloom? Summer? White? Pink? Purple? Maybe she was even asking about Magnolia (Michelia) figo.

I remember being struck by the Magnolia grandiflora in Atlanta, but that is a bit more than a shrub!

I'm pretty sure that it would be an evergreen and have white blooms. We are both in central Alabama and Magnolias are very common here. This just seemed like something new and interesting. She had said it would seem to make an interesting hedge (?).

Small-leaved and -flowered Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem' is being heavily planted up here, it starts out bushy. There has been some promoting of it as "dwarf magnolia".

There is also the "Little Girl" series, so-called by Michael Dirr. They all have girl-names. They are a group of about eight hybrids, lavender-pink, shrubby in size and habit. I have one, absolutely bone-hardy and a very reliable bloomer. Think it is 'Betty', but I'd have to go check my files. Think they are pretty much alike. Early bloomers too.

I'm thinking it is probably the little gem. Are the "little girls" evergreens or like jap mags?

Kosar-DeVos Hybrids is a better term. Anyway, they're from crossing of star and purple lily magnolias. All deciduous, mostly purple (except 'Pinkie').

it could be a michelia. michelia figo is a great shrub with banana scented flowers in march-april. they are now listed in the genus magnolia. they are evergreen and bear half dollar sized magnolia blossoms. they can get large...i have seen them in the 15-18 ft range here in central alabama.

There is a Mag. g. 'Little Gem' in Knoxville , TN. that is over 30' tall . I guess that is dwarf compared to some straight species . The variegated grandiflora is a stew of a plant . For persons up north , look for 24 below . This cultivar came out of Knoxville in the mid eighties after scary low temps . 'Edith Bogue' is supposed to have good hardiness , yea right .

Yes: Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem' "starts out bushy", becomes a columnar tree.

my collection of magnolias:

acuminata
acuminata 'Koban Dori'
acuminata 'Moegi Dori'
Alba Superba'
Alexandrina
Amabilis
amoena
Apollo'
Athene
Atlas
biondii
Black Tulip
brooklynensis 'Eva Maria'
brooklynensis 'Woodsman'
brooklynensis 'Yellow Bird'
Brozzoni
Butterflies'
Caerhay's Belle
campbelli 'Charles Raffil'
campbelli 'Darjeeling'
campbelli mollicomata 'Lanarth'
Chameleon
Charles Coates
Chrysanthemiflora
Coral Lake
cylindrica
cylindrica 'Take One'
Daphne
Darrel Dean
dawsoniana
delavayi
denudata
Elizabeth'
Galaxy
George Henry Kern
globosa
Golden Sun
Goldstar'
grandiflora
grandiflora 'Angustifolia'
grandiflora 'Double Nantes'
grandiflora 'Edith Bogue'
grandiflora 'Exmouth'
grandiflora 'Galissoniere'
grandiflora 'Goliath'
grandiflora 'Harold Poole'
grandiflora 'Little Gem'
grandiflora 'Majestic Beauty'
grandiflora 'Maryland'
grandiflora 'Russet'
grandiflora 'Samuel Sommer'
grandiflora 'St George'
grandiflora 'Timeless Beauty'
grandiflora 'Trevey'
grandiflora 'Victoria'
Hattie Cartham'
heaven scent
hypoleuca
Ivory Chalice
Joe Mc Daniel
kosar 'Ann'
kosar 'Betty'
kosar 'Jane'
kosar 'Judy'
kosar 'Pinkie'
kosar 'Ricky'
kosar 'Susan'
Lanhydrock
Lennei
lennei alba
liliflora 'Darkest Purple'
Lilleney
loebneri 'Merril'
macrophylla
Manchu Fan
maudiae
miss honeybee
officinalis
officinalis 'Biloba'
Peppermint Stick'
Philip Treguna
Pickard's Opal
Pickard's stardust
Pristine
Red Lucky
Rouged Alabaster
Royal Star
rustica rubra
salicifolia 'Jermyns'
sargentiana 'Robusta'
Serene
sieboldii
sieboldii 'Colossus'
sinensis
Spectrum
Sprengerii
sprengerii 'Burncoose'
Star Wars
Stellata 'Jane Platt'
Stellata Rosea
Summer solstice
Sun Ray
thompsoniana
Tina Durio
Todd Gresham
Trengwainton Glory
tripetala
Verbanica
virginiana
virginiana ' Henry hicks'
virginiana 'Havener'
Vulcan
Wada's Memory'
wieseneri
wilsonii
Yellow Fever
Yellow Lantern'
yellow river
yunnanensis (Michelia)
zenii