椭蕾玉兰 tuo lei yu lan

Basionym: Magnolia elliptigemmata C. L. Guo & L. L. Huang, J. Wuhan Bot. Res. 10: 325. 1992.

Trees, to 10 m tall, 40-50 cm d.b.h. Bark gray, with grayish white massive lenticels. Twigs, petioles, and adaxial surface of leaf blades glabrous. Stipular scar 1/4-1/3 as long as petiole. Petiole 1.5-2 cm; leaf blade obovate to broadly obovate, 5-9 × 4.5-6.5 cm, abaxially green, white appressed pubescent when young, adaxially dark green, secondary veins 7 or 8 on each side of midvein, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, apex broadly rounded, slightly emarginate, or shortly acute. Peduncle ca. 6 mm. Flowers appearing before leaves, fragrant. Tepals 11(or 12), pale purplish red but basally darker and apically lighter, obovate-spoon-shaped, 5.5-6.7 × 2.2-3.2 cm, subequal. Stamens ca. 50, 1-1.5 cm; filaments ca. 4 mm; connective exserted and forming a ca. 1 mm mucro; anthers dehiscing laterally. Gynoecium cylindric, 1.8-2 cm, glabrous; styles 2-3 mm. Fruit 4-7 cm, usually withered because of carpels partly undeveloped; mature carpels compressed globose, 0.7-1.5 cm in diam., dehiscing into 2 valves, tuberculate. Seeds bean-shaped or cordate; testa red; endotesta pale brown. Fl. Mar, fr. Sep-Oct.

● Forests; ca. 700 m. Hubei (Yuan’an).

This is possibly a form of Yulania sprengeri with smaller leaves.