Bark
Grey to greyish-brown, becoming rough with age.
Syn. Michelia champaca
Grey to greyish-brown, becoming rough with age.
Leaf-stalks are 2-4 cm, leaves elliptic or ovate, 10-20 x 4.5-10 cm, slightly puberulous below, base broadly wedge-shaped or rounded, ttip long-pointed.
Flowers are fragrant, tepals 15-20, yellow, inverted-lanceshaped, 2-4 x 0.4-0.5 cm. Staminal connective is protruding and forming a long tip.
Fruit is 7-15 cm; mature carpels obovoid-ellipsoid, 1-1.5 cm, tuberculate. Seeds 2-4 per carpel, rugose.
The flower has undifferentiated tepals instead of true sepals and petals, an ancient trait, and magnolias are mainly pollinated by beetles.Its ripe pods later reveal bright red seeds hanging on delicate threads that attract birds.
S. India to S. Central China and Lesser Sunda Islands.