Magnolia sieboldii

Siebold's Magnolia
File:Magnolia-sieboldii.JPG
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Magnoliids
Order:	Magnoliales
Family:	Magnoliaceae
Genus:	Magnolia
Subgenus:	M. subg. Magnolia
Section:	M. sect. Rhytidospermum
Subsection:	M. subsect. Oyama
Species:	M. sieboldii
Binomial name
Magnolia sieboldii

Magnolia sieboldii, Siebold's Magnolia, also known as Oyama Magnolia, is a species of Magnolia native to east Asia in China, Japan, and Korea. It is named after the German doctor Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796–1866).

Description

Magnolia sieboldii is a large shrub or small tree 5–10 m tall (16-32 feet). The stalks, young leaves, young twigs and young buds are downy. The leaves are elliptical to ovate-oblong, 9-16 cm (rarely 25 cm) long and 4-10 cm (rarely 12 cm) broad, with a 1.5-4.5 cm petiole.

The flowers, unlike the better-known spring flowering Magnolias, open primarily in the early summer, but continue intermittently until late summer. They are pendulous, cup-shaped, 7-10 cm diameter, and have 6-12 tepals, the outer three smaller, the rest larger, and pure white; the carpels are greenish and the stamens reddish-purple or greenish-white.

Subspecies

There are three subspecies:

• Magnolia sieboldii subsp. japonica. Japan. Low shrub; flowers with 6 tepals and greenish-white stamens.
• Magnolia sieboldii subsp. sieboldii. Japan, Korea, eastern China. Tree or large shrub; flowers with 9-12 tepals and reddish-purple stamens; leaves smaller, rarely over 16 cm.
• Magnolia sieboldii subsp. sinensis. Southwestern China (Sichuan); flowers as subsp. sieboldii; leaves larger, commonly to 22 cm.

Cultivation

Magnolia sieboldii is grown as an ornamental tree in gardens. It is one of the hardiest magnolias, successful in cultivation as far north as the Arboretum Mustila in Finland.

Called mongnan or mokran (목란/木蘭), Siebold's Magnolia is the national flower of North Korea.

References

• Hunt, D. (ed). (1998). Magnolias and their allies. International Dendrology Society and Magnolia Society. ISBN 0-9517234-8-0
• Flora of China: Magnoliaceae (draft account)