Origin
The tree is native to the Indomalayan realm, consisting of South Asia, Southeast Asia-Indochina, and southern China. It is found in tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, at elevations of 200-1,600 metres. It is native to the Maldives, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. In China it is native to southern Tibet and southern and southwestern Yunnan. In its native range the tree grows to 50 metres or taller. Its trunk can be up to 1.9 metres in diameter. The tree is evergreen and has a narrow umbelliform crown. The flowers bloom from June to September. The carpels produce two to four seeds from September to October. The species epithet comes from the Sanskrit word campaka, and the tree was previously classified as Michelia champaca.
Varieties and white champaca
Two varieties are recorded: Magnolia champaca var. champaca and Magnolia champaca var. pubinervia. Variety champaca is documented in China at up to 30 metres tall, and variety pubinervia at 50 metres or taller. Magnolia × alba, also known as the white champaca, is considered to be a hybrid of Magnolia champaca and Magnolia montana.
Chemistry
In the leaf essential oil of Magnolia champaca, sesquiterpenes are the major chemical class, at 68.58 to 81.44% in all accessions studied, followed by monoterpenes at 0.8 to 25.04%. Among the major constituents of the leaf oil are β-elemene, γ-muurolene, β-caryophyllene, methyl linoleate and linalool. Chemometric analysis classified the accessions into three chemotypes, rich in β-elemene, β-caryophyllene and γ-muurolene. Ushinsunine is an aporphine alkaloid contained in Magnolia champaca.
The leaf oil was isolated from 52 accessions collected in eleven districts of Odisha, India, and GC-MS identified 65 compounds that account for 90.23 to 98.90% of the oil. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons make up 52.83 to 65.63% of the oil and sesquiterpene alcohols 14.71 to 22.45%. β-Elemene ranges from 0.23 to 38.76% of the leaf oil, γ-muurolene from 0.31 to 22.48% and β-caryophyllene from 0.03 to 20.70%. Linalool makes up 1.02 to 9.59% of the leaf oil, and methyl linoleate 1.14 to 10.60%. Leaf oil of the species collected in Brazil was also rich in sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. The EC number of the extractives obtained from Michelia champaca is 305-079-8.
Uses and cultural role
In South Asia, especially India, the flowers are used primarily in worship ceremonies. They are also worn in the hair by girls and women as a beauty ornament and as a natural perfume. Flowers are floated in bowls of water to scent the room. They also decorate bridal beds and are made into garlands. The tree was traditionally used to make fragrant hair and massage oils. In the province of Aceh, Indonesia, the champak flower is highly revered in Acehnese culture, as the flower of Aceh as a whole. In Aceh the flower is a symbol of beauty, it appears in rituals and as an ornament, and the folk song Bungong Jeumpa sings of it. In Theravada Buddhism, champaca is said to have been the tree used by the fourteenth Buddha to achieve enlightenment. In Tibetan belief, the Buddha of the next era will find enlightenment under its white flower canopy. The tree is also logged for its timber, a finely textured, dark brown and olive-colored wood used in furniture making, construction and cabinetry. The species is protected from logging in some states of India, especially in the southwest, where certain groves are considered sacred by Hindus and Buddhists. Nurseries cultivate it as an ornamental tree, as a dense screening hedge and for its fragrant flowers.
This note in PREMIEREPEAU. Nuit Élastique. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.
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