Magnolia denudata Seeds | Yulan Magnolia
LATIN NAME: Magnolia denudata
COMMON NAME: Yulan Magnolia
Plant Profile
Yulan magnolia is a small deciduous tree of central and eastern China, growing six to twelve metres with a broad, rounded crown and soft, grey-green leaves. The flowers open in early spring before the leaves, as large, upright, cup-shaped white blooms with a lemon scent.
They are followed by cone-like fruits with scarlet seeds that hang on the tree into autumn. It has been cultivated in Chinese temple gardens for more than a thousand years, and old specimens are often treated as landmarks in their villages. The buds are covered in soft grey hairs, which protects them from frost. They open over two or three weeks, and a single tree can be in flower for a month.
Science & Biotechnology
The species is one of the parents of the widely planted saucer magnolia, Magnolia × soulangeana, a cross with Magnolia liliiflora made in France in the 1820s. Research has looked at the volatile compounds behind its scent, at the beetle pollination that characterizes the genus, and at the seed’s dormancy, which requires a warm period followed by cold.
Its bark contains magnolol and honokiol, compounds studied for their pharmacology, and the flower buds are used in Chinese medicine. Taxonomic work has clarified its relationship to the other white-flowered Asian magnolias, several of which are grown in gardens.
Uses & Benefits
In China it is planted in temple courtyards and gardens as a symbol of purity, and the buds are used in traditional medicine and as a flavouring. In the garden it is grown as a specimen for its early flowers, which are best seen against a dark background or a wall.
The flowers are short-lived but spectacular, and the tree is often planted where the fallen petals can be appreciated. It is also grown in a large container for many years, though it eventually needs a permanent site. The bark is grey and smooth, and it is sometimes used for small carvings.
In China the flowers are also used to flavour tea, and the buds are gathered before they open for that purpose. The tree is planted in temple courtyards, where its white flowers are read as a symbol of purity, and old specimens are protected.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed in autumn, cleaning off the red aril, and stratify for three months; germination is often in the second spring. Plant out in spring in deep, fertile, slightly acidic soil, in sun with shelter from late frost, which damages the open flowers.
Mulch with leaf mould, and avoid digging around the roots, which are shallow and easily damaged. Prune only to remove dead wood, since the tree heals slowly and makes a shapely crown if left alone. Seed should be sown as soon as it is ripe, and the pots left outside so that the cold can break the dormancy.
Our Take
A tree for the moment in early spring when nothing else is flowering, and a link to gardens that have grown it for a thousand years. It needs shelter, but it repays it.
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