Magnoliaceae

Magnolia Plum. ex L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 535 (1753)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is E. Canada to Brazil, Caribbean, India to Kuril Islands and New Guinea.

Descriptions

Timothy M. A. Utteridge and Laura V. S. Jennings (2022). Trees of New Guinea. Kew Publishing. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Distribution
Magnolia is distributed in temperate and South-East Asia and tropical East Asia and, and from North America southward through the West Indies and Central America to Brazil; two species in New Guinea: Magnolia tsiampacca (L.) Figlar & Noot. and M. liliifera (L.) Baill.
Morphology General Habit
Trees to 35 m
Morphology General
Sap absent
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules present, enclosing and protecting the buds, later caducous and leaving an annular scar around the node, free or adnate to the petiole
Morphology Leaves
Leaves spirally arranged, simple, entire, penninerved
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers terminal or axillary on a short shoot, solitary or in pairs, bisexual, subtended by 1 or more caducous bracts which leave annular scars; perianth spirally arranged, tepals (6–)9–36, free, imbricate; stamens numerous, free, spirally arranged, filaments short, anthers linear, bilocular, connective a short appendage; carpels numerous, spirally arranged, free or concrescent, unilocular, ovules 2 or more
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit syncarpous, fruiting carpels opening along the dorsal and/or ventral suture, or circumscissile
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 1 or more per carpel, large.
Ecology
Magnolia species are understorey or canopy trees in lowland and lower montane forest, to c. 2500 m.
Recognition
The genus is easily recognised from the spicy smell of broken parts, the prominent large stipules that surround the stem but are open opposite the petiole and leave annular scars after falling, the entire leaf blades can be glaucous below, the flowers are solitary and quite large with many white to cream petals. The fruits are a syncarp of numerous 1- or 2-seeded follicles and are often found beneath the tree. The two species in New Guinea can be distinguished on the flower position: terminal in M. liliifera (formerly Magnolia s.str.) and axillary in M. tsiampacca (formerly placed in the segregate genus Elmerrillia).
[TONG]

Sources

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Interactive Key to Seed Plants of Malesia and Indo-China

    • The Malesian Key Group (2010) Interactive Key to Seed Plants of Malesia and Indo-China (Version 2.0, 28 Jul 2010) The Nationaal Herbarium Nederland Leiden and The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Trees of New Guinea

    • Trees of New Guinea
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0