球花含笑 qiu hua han xiao

Magnolia elliptilimba (B. L. Chen & Nooteboom) Figlar; M. sphaerantha (C. Y. Wu ex Z. S. Yue) Sima; Michelia elliptilimba B. L. Chen & Nooteboom.

Trees, 5-16 m tall. Bark grayish green, smooth. Young twigs, stipule abaxial surfaces, petioles, leaf blade on both surfaces, brachyblasts, bracts, gynophores, and carpels brown pubescent. Stipular scar 3-4 mm. Petiole 2-2.5 cm, pubescent; leaf blade elliptic to obovate-elliptic, 16-22 × 7.5-10 cm, thinly leathery, abaxially glaucous, adaxially green, midvein abaxially evidently prominent and adaxially impressed, secondary veins 9-14 on each side of midvein, reticulate veins dense and prominent on both surfaces when dry, base rounded, apex acute to acuminate. Brachyblasts 3-3.5 cm, with 3 or 4 bract scars. Tepals 11 or 12, white, subequal; outer 3 tepals obovate, 5.5-7.5 × 2.5-3 cm, base attenuate; inner tepals obovate to spatulate, narrower and smaller. Stamens numerous, 2-2.4 cm; connective exserted and forming a ca. 0.5 mm triangular mucro; anthers ca. 1.5 mm. Gynophore ca. 1 cm; gynoecium terete, ca. 3 cm; carpels numerous, ovoid, 4-5 mm; styles glabrous. Fruit 19-24 cm; mature carpels dark brown, ovoid, whitish lenticellate, dehiscing into 2 valves, valve ca. 2 mm thick. Fl. Mar, fr. Jul.

● Evergreen broad-leaved forests; 1800-2000 m. C Yunnan (Jingdong).