''Magnolia denudata'', the lilytree or Yulan magnolia (), is native to central and eastern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. It has been cultivated in Chinese

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

temple gardens since 600 AD. Its flowers were regarded as a symbol of purity in the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

and it was planted in the grounds of the

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

. It is the official city flower of

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

Description

''Magnolia denudata'' is a rather low, rounded, thickly branched, and coarse-textured tree to tall. The leaves are ovate, bright green, 15 cm long and 8 cm wide. The bark is a coarse, dark gray. The 10–16 cm white flowers that emerge from early to late spring, while beautiful and thick with a citrus-lemon fragrance, are prone to browning if subjected to frost.

Cultivation

''Magnolia denudata'' is used as an ornamental tree in gardens. It is similar to other

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'', ''Dugandiodendr ...

s in that it likes rich, moist soil and should be planted in a location where it is protected from elemental extremes. This plant has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

Gallery

File:Opatija019.jpg, View of mature ''Magnolia denudata''
File:Magnolia denudata3.jpg, Leaves and fruit File:Yulan Magnolia Magnolia denudata Bark Horizontal.JPG, Bark File:Magnola denudata flower.jpg, ''Magnolia denudata'' flower File:Saucer Magnolia -- Magnolia × soulangeana.jpg, ''M.'' × ''soulangeana'': hybrid of ''M. denudata'' & ''M. liliiflora''

References

External links

''Magnolia denudata'' images at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University Plant Image Database

{{Taxonbar, from=Q794061 denudata Trees of China Medicinal plants Garden plants of Asia Ornamental trees Endemic flora of China