''Magnolia denudata'', the lilytree or Yulan magnolia (), is native to central and eastern China. It has been cultivated in Chinese

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

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

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

and it was planted in the grounds of the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

's palace. It is the official city flower of

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

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'', ''Dugandiodendro ...

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 (Nor ...

's Award of Garden Merit.

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