光叶玉兰 guang ye yu lan

Magnolia dawsoniana Rehder & E. H. Wilson in Sargent, Pl. Wilson. 1: 397. 1913.

Trees, to 20 m tall, to 1 m d.b.h. Twigs yellowish green becoming yellowish brown, glabrous or with fine trichomes, sparsely lenticellate. Petiole slender, 1-3 cm, base with short stipular scar; leaf blade obovate to elliptic-obovate, 7.5-14(-18) × 4-8 cm, basal ca. 2/3 gradually narrowing, abaxially pale green, vein axils and both sides of midvein usually residual with white villous hairs, adaxially green and glossy with only fine trichomes along midvein but glabrescent, secondary veins 8-10 on each side of midvein and usually reddish, reticulate veins conspicuously prominent on both surfaces when dry, base cuneate and usually oblique, apex obtuse, shortly acute, or rarely emarginate. Peduncle 1-1.5 cm, nodes villous. Flowers appearing before leaves, 16-25 cm in diam., erect to nodding, fragrant. Tepals 9-12, white but outside reddish, narrowly oblong-spoon-shaped to obovate-oblong, subequal, apex obtuse to emarginate. Stamens purplish red, 1.2-2 cm; filaments 3-4.5 mm. Gynoecium narrowly cylindric, 1.5-2 cm. Fruit dark red when fresh turning dark reddish brown, cylindric, 7-14 × 2.5-3.5 cm, slightly curved because part of carpels sterile; mature carpels obovoid, with sparse yellow lenticels, 2-valved, apex rounded and without a beak. Seeds compressed orbicular or irregularly triangular, ca. 1 cm in diam. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Sep-Oct.

● Forests; 1400-2500 m. NW Hunan (Sangzhi), C Sichuan.

This species is grown as an ornamental.