Magnolia denudata, the lilytree or Yulan magnolia, is native to central and eastern China. The tree is rather low, rounded and thickly branched, up to 30 feet (9.1 m) tall. The white flowers, 10 to 16 cm, emerge from early to late spring.
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Botany and Classification
The leaves of Magnolia denudata are ovate and bright green, about 15 cm long and 8 cm wide, and the bark is coarse and dark gray. The species belongs to the family Magnoliaceae, in subgenus Yulania, and is rated Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It has received an Award of Garden Merit.
Cultivation
Magnolia denudata is used as an ornamental tree in gardens. It likes rich, moist soil and should be planted in a location protected from elemental extremes. The flowers are prone to browning if subjected to frost.
The Saucer Magnolia Hybrid
Magnolia × soulangeana, the saucer magnolia, is a hybrid of Magnolia denudata and Magnolia liliiflora. The French plantsman Étienne Soulange-Bodin crossed the two species in 1820. The first flowering of the resulting progeny came in 1826, and its flowers are colored in various shades of white, pink and maroon.
The Genus Magnolia
Magnolias are evergreen or deciduous trees or shrubs with large fragrant flowers in shades of white, pink, purple, green or yellow. In deciduous species the blooms often appear before the leaves in spring. The genus name first appeared in 1703 in a work by the French botanist Charles Plumier, who named it after the French botanist Pierre Magnol. Magnolia liliiflora, the other parent of the saucer magnolia, is a shrub or small tree native to southern China, with large pink to purple flowers.
Flower Buds and Chemistry
The dried flower buds of Magnolia, called Flos Magnoliae, are a traditional herbal medicine used for the treatment of headaches, nasal congestion, gastrointestinal disorders, anxiety, and allergic rhinitis. The oil of the violet buds is made mostly of monoterpene hydrocarbons (53.63%), with oxygenated monoterpenes at 14.82%, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons at 14.51% and oxygenated sesquiterpenes at 4.54%. Chlorogenic acid is the second most abundant phenolic acid in the flower buds, at 4.37 mg/g in violet buds against 3.55 mg/g in white ones.
Floral Scent
Terpenoids make up the majority of floral volatiles. The system most used to analyse floral scent samples is gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.
