厚朴 hou po

Basionym: Magnolia officinalis Rehder & E. H. Wilson in Sargent, Pl. Wilson. 1: 391. 1913; M. cathayana D. L. Fu & T. B. Chao; M. officinalis subsp. biloba (Rehder & E. H. Wilson) Y. W. Law; M. officinalis var. biloba Rehder & E. H. Wilson; M. officinalis var. glabra D. L. Fu et al.; M. officinalis var. pubescens C. Y. Deng.

Trees, to 20 m tall. Bark brown, thick, not fissured. Twigs pale yellow to grayish yellow, thick and strong, sericeous at first; terminal buds ovoid-conical, large, glabrous. Stipular scar ca. 2/3 as long as petiole. Petiole thick and strong, 2.5-4 cm. Leaves 7-9 clustered on twig apex; leaf blade oblong-obovate, 22-45 × 10-24 cm, nearly leathery, abaxially grayish green, glaucous, and gray villous, adaxially green and glabrous, base cuneate, margin entire or slightly wavy, apex shortly acute, obtuse, emarginate, or sometimes 2-lobed. Peduncle short and thick, villous; bract scar ca. 1 cm basal to tepals. Flowers 10-15 cm in diam., fragrant. Tepals 9-12(-17), white, thickly fleshy; outer 3 tepals pale green, oblong-obovate, 8-10 × 4-5 cm, usually reflexed at anthesis; tepals of inner 2 whorls obovate-spoon-shaped, 8-8.5 × 3-4.5 cm, base clawed; inner tepals 7-8.5 cm, erect at anthesis. Stamens numerous, 2-3 cm; filaments red, 4-12 mm; anthers 1.2-1.5 cm, dehiscing introrsely. Gynoecium ellipsoid-ovoid, 2.5-3 cm. Fruit ellipsoid-ovoid, 9-15 cm; mature carpels with a 3-4 mm beak. Seeds triangular-obovoid, ca. 1 cm. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Aug-Oct. 2n = 38*.

● Forests; 300-1500 m. Anhui, Fujian, SE Gansu, N Guangdong, Guangxi, NE Guizhou, SE Henan, W Hubei, NW Hunan, Jiangxi, S Shaanxi, E and S Sichuan, Zhejiang.

This species is grown as an ornamental. It is used medicinally and for timber.