Mulberry

Magnolia

　　Magnolia is a deciduous tree. Its winter buds are densely covered with pale grayish-green long hairs. The leaves are alternate. The flowers bloom before the leaves, are upright, bell-shaped, fragrant, pale greenish-white, sometimes with a reddish hue at the base. The fruit is an aggregate fruit, with heart-shaped black seeds.

Magnolia flowers are as white as jade, with a fragrance similar to orchids. The tree has a robust form, sometimes growing over 10 meters tall, with an ovoid crown and large, broadly ovate leaves. The leaf blades are shortly and abruptly acuminate at the apex, wedge-shaped at the base, glossy on the surface, and arranged sparsely along the branches. The young branches and buds are covered with short downy hairs. The winter buds have large scales. The flowers bloom before the leaves, are terminal, large, with diameters of 12–15 cm. The perianth consists of 9 tepals, bell-shaped. The fruit is a cylindrical infructescence, brown in color; the follicles split upon maturity, revealing red seeds. The flowers bloom in March, and the fruits ripen from June to July. Magnolias can grow up to 25 meters tall, with trunk diameters reaching up to 200 cm. When young, the tree crown is narrowly ovoid; mature trees develop a broad ovoid or loosely spreading ovoid crown. Seed-grown trees often have a clearly defined main trunk, a sturdy build, a majestic and vigorous appearance, long internodes, sparse branches, but relatively fewer flowers. Grafted trees often exhibit multi-trunked or low-branched main stems, with short internodes and dense branching, resulting in a more compact tree form, yet covered in abundant blossoms that appear pure white and strikingly beautiful from a distance. Therefore, depending on their origin, white magnolias offer different aesthetic qualities in landscape use. In small or enclosed gardens, single plantings or small clusters are best achieved using grafted varieties to convey an elegant and classic charm. In contrast, scenic tourist areas are better suited for seed-grown varieties, which showcase a rugged and rustic style. The bark of young magnolia trees is grayish-white, smooth, and lightly fissured, turning dark gray, rough, and deeply cracked with age. The twigs are grayish-brown. The terminal buds and flower stalks are densely covered with long, grayish-yellow downy hairs, resembling a hibernating young mouse, especially noticeable in winter. Branching habits vary with age: when young, growth occurs through single buds, resulting in a clearly defined main trunk and neat crown. After flowering begins, mixed leaf-and-flower buds extend into double or multiple branches behind the fruit spike, favoring lateral over vertical growth, thus steering the crown toward a broadly ovoid shape.

The leaves are alternate, sometimes spirally arranged, broadly ovate to ovate, measuring 10–18 cm in length and 6–12 cm in width. The apex is rounded, broadly truncate, or slightly emarginate with a short, abrupt mucro, hence also called "convex-head magnolia." The blade tapers gradually below the middle into a cuneate shape, with entire margins. Magnolia leaves usually have stipules or accessory structures at the base. There are two types of stipules: those at the terminal buds are appressed to the young stem, separate from the petiole, and overlap like roof tiles; those along the leaf blade are scattered, spatula-shaped, and adhere to the sides of the petiole base. As the bud grows and the leaves expand, the stipules fall off, leaving annular stipule scars on the young twigs—an identifying feature of the Magnoliaceae family.