二乔玉兰 er qiao yu lan

Magnolia x_soulangeana Soulange-Bodin, Mém. Soc. Linn. Paris 1826: 269. 1826 ["soulangiana"]; M. yulan Desfontaines var. soulangeana (Soulange-Bodin) Lindley.

Trees, 6-10 m tall. Twigs glabrous. Stipular scar ca. 1/3 as long as petiole. Petiole 1-1.5 cm, pubescent; leaf blade obovate, 6-15 × 4-7.5 cm, basal ca. 2/3 gradually narrowing, papery, abaxially ± pubescent, adaxially with residual trichomes along midvein at base, secondary veins 7-9 on each side of midvein, base cuneate, apex shortly acute. Flower buds ovoid. Flowers appearing before leaves. Tepals 6-9, pale red to dark red; outer 3 tepals usually ca. 2/3 as long as inner ones. Stamens 1-1.2 cm; connective exserted and forming a mucro; anthers ca. 6 mm, dehiscing laterally. Gynoecium cylindric, ca. 1.5 cm, glabrous. Fruit ca. 8 × 3 cm; mature carpels black, ovoid to obovoid, 1-1.5 cm, with white lenticels. Seeds dark brown, broadly obovoid to obovoid, compressed laterally. Fl. Feb-Mar, fr. Sep-Oct. 2n = 76*.

● Cultivated throughout most of China and occurring occasionally where the two parents grow together.

This very ornamental hybrid between Yulania denudata and Y. liliiflora varies in the shape, size, and color of its tepals. Although origi-nally named based on a hybrid made in Europe, the same hybridization occurs in China. There are about 20 cultivars in cultivation.