''Magnolia biondii'', or Biondi's magnolia, is a

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

tree that flowers in late winter to early spring before leaf growth. Its early flowering nature gives it the name of the ''Hope for Spring Flower''. ''M. biondii'' is a member of the family

Magnoliaceae The Magnoliaceae () are a flowering plant family, the magnolia family, in the order Magnoliales. It consists of two genera: '' Magnolia'' and ''Liriodendron'' (tulip trees). Unlike most angiosperms, whose flower parts are in whorls (rings), ...

, which consists of more than 210 species. It is widely found in

Northern China Northern China () and Southern China () are two approximate regions that display certain differences in terms of their geography, demographics, economy, and culture. Extent The Qinling, Qinling–Daba Mountains serve as the transition zone ...

. It produces small white flowers every few years. Flower buds and petals of the plant are used to alleviate nasal obstruction and coughing in some parts of China.

Distribution

''Magnolia biondii'' is widely distributed in China. It is commonly found in

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

provinces. It is usually found in forests in the mountains.

Habitat and ecology

''Magnolia biondii'' is a deciduous tree that grows mainly in

temperate forest A temperate forest is a forest found between the tropical and boreal regions, located in the temperate zone. It is the second largest terrestrial biome, covering 25% of the world's forest area, only behind the boreal forest, which covers about 3 ...

s in the mountains. It has a broadly conical to spreading habit.

Morphology of leaf

''Magnolia biondii'' can grow up to . Its bark has a pale grey, smooth appearance. It produces simple leaf type with ovate shape. In general, leaf size varies and can be up to , long and , across. In addition, they are taper-pointed at the tip and wedge-shaped at the base with a short petiole of up to . Furthermore, leaves are arranged in an alternative pattern. Leaves have pinnate

venation Venation may refer to: * Venation (botany), the arrangement of veins in leaves * Wing venation, the arrangement of veins in insect wings See also * * Vernation Vernation or leafing is the formation of new leaves or fronds. In plant anatomy, it ...

. Moreover,

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s and

carpels Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ...

are spirally arranged.

Flowers and fruit

Flowers of ''Magnolia biondii'' are small and white and have strong fragrance associated to them. They can grow up to . Flower parts are in sets of threes. In general, flowers have six petals and three

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s. More specifically, the petals are pink at the base and white at the top. Furthermore, flowers have cone-shaped receptacles that bear spirally arranged carpels from which styles emerge.

Stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s are cream-white in color. In addition, flowers take several years to appear. Because of the small size and long growth period, ''Magnolia biondii'' is seldom used for ornamental purposes. ''Magnolia biondii'' produce aggregate fruits that consist of numerous separate carpels of one

gynoecium Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl (botany), whorl of a flower; it consists ...

. The fruits form in cylindrical cluster and protrude on a stalk. Each cluster can grow up to long. Individual fruitlets are red at first, then turn brown upon maturity.

Usage

Food

Dried flower buds and petals of ''Magnolia biondii'' are considered food in some parts of China. Fresh flower buds can be prepared by mixing with vinegar and ginger. Petals can be fried with flour batter coating.

Medicinal

The dried flower buds of ''Magnolia biondii'' are used medicinally in China and Japan. They are used to relieve coughing and

nasal obstruction Nasal congestion is the partial or complete blockage of nasal passages, leading to impaired nasal breathing, usually due to membranes lining the nose becoming swollen from inflammation of blood vessels. Background In about 85% of cases, nasal ...

. Pharmacologically, five

lignan The lignans are a large group of low molecular weight polyphenols found in plants, particularly seeds, whole grains, and vegetables. The name derives from the Latin word for "wood". Lignans are precursors to phytoestrogens. They may play a rol ...

s including pinoresinol dimethyl ether, magnolin, epi-magnolin A, fargesin, and demethoxyaschantin have been attributed to the medicinal effect of ''Magnolia biondii''.

Similar species

''Magnolia biondii'' is closely related to the Japanese Willow-Leaf Magnolia, '' Magnolia salicifolia'', which has aromatic foliage and shoots. Resemblance is also observed in '' Magnolia dendata''. ''Magnolia biondii'' is generally distinguished by its smaller size, narrower leaves, and smaller flowers.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6731965 biondii