''Magnolia delavayi'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...

''. It is known by the common names of Chinese evergreen magnolia or Delavay's magnolia. It was named after Father Delavay, French

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

missionary in China, who collected it.

Description

''Magnolia delavayi'' is a small

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

in height with gray to grayish-black bark. The leaves are ovate to ovate-oblong, 10–20 cm (rarely to 32 cm) long and 5–10 cm (rarely to 20 cm) broad, tough, leathery, with a 5–7 cm petiole. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are fragrant, cup-shaped, 15–25 cm broad, with nine thick, creamy white to pink

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s; stamens ca. 210 and ovoid gynoecium with ca. 100 carpels.

Distribution and habitat

''Magnolia delavayi'' is native to southern China, occurring in

Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to the ...

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

and

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...

at 1,500-2,800 m of elevation.

Ecology

In its native habitat, flowering occurs from April to June. It grows on wet slopes on limestone areas.

Cultivation

''Magnolia delavayi'' is grown as an ornamental tree for its evergreen foliage as well as flowers. It is uncommon though increasing in cultivation elsewhere, such as in California. A recently selected red-flowered form is becoming popular in cultivation. ''Magnolia delavayi'' is the city tree of Chongqing.

References

External links