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Michelia compressa (Maxim.) Sarg.

Modern name

Magnolia compressa Maxim.

Synonyms

Magnolia compressa Maxim.

An evergreen tree, at least 40 ft high, with a trunk 1 ft or more in diameter, and a compact, rounded head of branches. Leaves 3 in. in average length, oblong or obovate, tapering at the base to a slender stalk 12 to 1 in. long; glabrous, leathery, and glossy green. Flowers (rarely seen in this country) 112 to 2 in. across when fully expanded, magnolia-like, fragrant; sepals and petals pale yellow. Fruits on a cone 2 in. long, each containing usually three seeds.

Native of southern Japan and the Ryukyu Islands; introduced in 1894. It was cultivated at Kew for some years and proved hardy though slow-growing. A plant of this rare species grew for some forty years at Borde Hill in Sussex, with the protection of a south-facing wall, but its flowers, though quite freely borne, made little display.


Genus

Michelia

Other species in the genus