''Magnolia biondii'', or Biondi's magnolia, is a

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

tree that flowers in late winter to early spring before leaf growth. Its early flowering nature gives it the name of the ''Hope for Spring Flower''. ''Magnolia biondii''is a member of the family

Magnoliaceae The Magnoliaceae () are a flowering plant family, the magnolia family, in the order Magnoliales. It consists of two genera: ''Magnolia'' and ''Liriodendron'' (tulip trees). Unlike most angiosperms, whose flower parts are in whorls (rings), the ...

, which consists of more than 210 species. It is widely found in

Northern China Northern China () and Southern China () are two approximate regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions is not precisely defined and only serve to depict where there appears to be regional differences between the climate ...

. It produces small white flowers every few years. Leave buds and petals of the plant are used to alleviate nasal obstruction and coughing in some parts of China.

Distribution

''Magnolia biondii'' is widely distributed in China. It is commonly found in

Gansu Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibet ...

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

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 ...

provinces. It is usually found in forests in the mountains. The plant was discovered and introduced to the Western hemisphere more than 70 years ago.

Habitat and ecology

''Magnolia biondii'' is a deciduous tree that grows mainly in

temperate forest A temperate forest is a forest found between the tropical and boreal regions, located in the temperate zone. It is the second largest biome on our planet, covering 25% of the world's forest area, only behind the boreal forest, which covers abou ...

s in the mountains. It has a broadly conical to spreading habit.

Morphology of leaf

''Magnolia biondii'' can grow up to . Its bark has a pale grey, smooth appearance. It produces simple leaf type with ovate shape. In general, leaf size varies and can be up to , long and , across. In addition, they are taper-pointed at the tip and wedge-shaped at the base with a short petiole of up to . Furthermore, leaves are arranged in an alternative pattern. Leaves have pinnate

venation Venation may refer to: * Venation (botany), the arrangement of veins in leaves * Wing venation, the arrangement of veins in insect wings See also * * Vernation Vernation (from ''vernal'' meaning ''spring'', since that is when leaves spring forth ...

. Moreover,

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s and

carpels Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

are spirally arranged.

Flowers and fruit

Flowers of ''Magnolia biondii'' are small and white and have strong fragrance associated to them. They can grow up to . Flowers parts are in sets of threes. In general, flowers have six petals and three

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s. More specifically, the petals are pink at the base and white at the top. Furthermore, flowers have cone-shaped receptacle that bears spirally arranged carpels from which styles emerge.

Stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s are cream-white in color. In addition, flowers take several years to appear. Because of the small size and long growth period, ''Magnolia biondii'' is seldom used for ornamental purposes. ''Magnolia biondii'' produce aggregate fruits that consist of numerous separate carpels of one

gynoecium Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

. The fruits form in cylindrical cluster and protrude on a stalk. Each cluster can grow up to long. Individual fruitlets are red at first, then turn brown upon maturity.

Usage

Food

Dried flower buds and petals of ''Magnolia biondii'' are considered food in some parts of China. Fresh flower buds can be prepared by mixing with vinegar and ginger. Petals can be fried with flour batter coating.

Medicinal

The dried flower buds of ''Magnolia biondii'' are used medicinally in China and Japan. They are used to relieve coughing and

nasal obstruction Nasal congestion is the blockage of nasal breathing usually due to membranes lining the nose becoming swollen from inflamed blood vessels. Background In about 85% of cases, nasal congestion leads to mouth breathing rather than nasal breathing. ...

. Pharmacologically, five

lignan The lignans are a large group of low molecular weight polyphenols found in plants, particularly seeds, whole grains, and vegetables. The name derives from the Latin word for "wood". Lignans are precursors to phytoestrogens. They may play a role ...

s including pinoresinol dimethyl ether, magnolin, epi-magnolin A, fargesin, and demethoxyaschantin have been attributed to the medicinal effect of ''Magnolia biondii''.

Similar species

''Magnolia biondii'' is closely related to the Japanese Willow-Leaf Magnolia, ''

Magnolia salicifolia ''Magnolia salicifolia'', also known as willow-leafed magnolia or anise magnolia, originates from Japan. It is a small deciduous tree 7.5 m (25 ft) tall, with narrow lanceolate leaves with whitened undersides. The leaves are not as nar ...

'', which has aromatic foliage and shoots. Resemblance is also observed in '' Magnolia dendata''. ''Magnolia biondii'' is generally distinguished by its smaller size, narrower leaves, and smaller flowers.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6731965 biondii