玉兰 yu lan

Magnolia denudata Desrousseaux in Lamarck, Encycl. 3: 675. 1792; Gwillimia yulan (Desfontaines) de Vos; Lassonia heptapeta Buc’hoz, nom. utique rej.; M. alexandrina Steudel; M. citriodora Steudel; M. conspicua Salisbury; M. conspicua var. purpurascens Maximowicz; M. cyathiformis Rinz ex K. Koch; M. denudata var. angustitepala T. B. Chao & Zhi X. Chen; M. denudata var. pyramidalis T. B. Chao & Zhi X. Chen; M. denudata var. pyriformis T. D. Yang & T. C. Cui; M. heptapeta (Buc’hoz) Dandy, comb. rej.; M. obovata Thunberg var. denudata (Desrousseaux) Candolle; M. yulan Desfontaines; Michelia yulan (Desfontaines) Kosteletzky; Yulania conspicua (Salisbury) Spach; Y. denudata var. flava D. L. Fu et al.; Y. denudata subsp. pubescens (D. L. Fu et al.) D. L. Fu et al.; Y. denudata var. pubescens D. L. Fu et al.; Y. denudata var. purpurascens (Maximowicz) D. L. Fu; Y. denudata var. pyramidalis (T. B. Chao & Zhi X. Chen) D. L. Fu; Y. pyriformis (T. D. Yang & T. C. Cui) D. L. Fu.

Trees, to 25 m tall, to 1 m d.b.h. Bark deep gray, coarse and fissured. Winter buds and peduncles densely pale grayish yellow long sericeous. Branches patent and forming a broad crown; twigs grayish brown, slightly thick and strong. Stipular scar 1/4-1/3 as long as petiole. Petiole 1-2.5 cm, villous, adaxially narrowly furrowed; leaf blade obovate, broadly obovate, or obovate-elliptic but basal leaves elliptic, 10-15(-18) × 6-10(-12) cm, papery, gradually narrowing from middle toward base, abaxially pale green and villous along veins, adaxially deep green, villous when young, and later only pilose on midvein and secondary veins, secondary veins 8-10 on each side of midvein, reticulate veins conspicuous, apex broadly rounded, truncate, or slightly emarginate. Peduncle significantly enlarged, densely pale yellow long sericeous. Flower buds ovoid. Flowers appearing before leaves, 10-16 cm in diam., erect, fragrant. Tepals 9, white, oblong-obovate, 6-8(-10) × 2.5-4.5(-6.5) cm, subequal, base usually pinkish. Stamens 7-12 mm; connective ca. 5 mm wide, exserted and forming a mucro; anthers 6-7 mm, dehiscing laterally. Gynoecium pale green, cylindric, 2-2.5 cm, glabrous; ovaries narrowly ovoid, 3-4 mm; styles conical, ca. 4 mm. Fruit cylindric but in cultivation often curved because of carpels partly undeveloped, 12-15 × 3.5-5 cm; mature carpels brown, thickly woody, white lenticellate. Seeds cordate, ca. 9 × 10 mm, laterally compressed; testa red; endotesta black. Fl. Feb-Mar, fr. Aug-Sep. 2n = 76*, 114*.

● Forests; 500-1000 m. Anhui, Chongqing, N Guangdong, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Zhejiang.

This species is grown as an ornamental and for timber. It is widely cultivated in temperate parts of the world.