Michelia Alba Tree (Magnolia × alba) Profile: Plant Info and Care Guide

Michelia Alba ((Magnolia × alba), also known as white champaca, is an evergreen flowering tree up to 17 meters high with broad branches and an umbrella canopy. DBH 30 cm; The bark is grey; The leaves and branches are fragrant; Shoots and buds are densely yellow-white puberulent, glabrescent with aging. Leaves are thinly leathery, long elliptic or eniculate elliptic, glabrous above, sparsely puberulent below, veins obvious in both sides when dry. The flowers are white and fragrant; It has 10 petals, lanceolate; Pistil carpel mature with extension of receptacle, forming follicles sparsely aggregated fruit;Follicles are bright red when spicated. Flowering period is April-September, in summer, usually not firm.

The michelia alba flowers are white and fragrant, open in summer and autumn, with long blooming periods and dark green leaves. They are famous ornamental trees in gardens, and many of them are street trees. Flower can be extracted essence or tea, also can be extracted for medicinal extract, there is gasification turbidity, cough equivalent. Rare solid, grafting reproduction, with Yellow orchid, Michelia, Firepower as rootstock. It can also be used for aerial layering or breeding by grafting. It is originally from Java, Indonesia, now widely planted in Southeast Asia. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and other provinces in China, the Yangtze River basin provinces and regions have more pot, overwintering in greenhouses.

Michelia Alba Flower Picture

Characteristics of Michelia Alba Tree

Michelia Alba Tree is an evergreen floweing tree, up to 17 meters high, with broad branches and a broad umbrella like crown; DBH is up to 50 cm; The bark is grey; The leaves and branches are fragrant; Shoots and buds are densely yellow-white puberulent, glabrescent with aging. Leaves are thinly leathery, elliptic or oblong, 10-27 cm long and 4-9.5 cm wide, apex long acuminate or caudate acuminate, base cuneate, glabrous above, sparsely puberulent below, veins evident in both sides when dry; The petiole is 1.5-2 cm long, sparsely puberulent; Stipules are indwelling to the middle of petiole.

The flowers are white and fragrant; Tepals 10, lanceolate, 3-4 cm long, 3-5 mm wide; The stamen septum extends a long cusp; Pistil group puberulent, pistil group stipe ca. 4 mm long, carpel numerous, usually partially developed, form follicles aggregate fruit sparsely with extension of stamen at maturity; Follicles are bright red when spicata. Flowering period is April-September, in summer, usually not firm.

Distribution of Michelia Alba Tree

Michelia Alba Tree (white champaca) likes ight, afraid of high temperature, not cold, suitable for slightly acidic soil. michelia alba tree likes warm and humid, drought and waterlogging resistance, to sulfur dioxide, chlorine and other toxic gas more sensitive, poor resistance.

Originally from Java, Indonesia, now widely planted in Southeast Asia. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and other provinces in China, the Yangtze River basin provinces and regions have more pot, overwintering in greenhouses.

How to Care for Magnolia Alba Tree

Soil for Magnolia Alba

A family potted Magnolia Alba( white champaca) should be planted in loose soil with strong air permeability and rich humus. Usually choose the earthen basin with good air permeability, purple sand basin (cylinder) or the plastic basin with more bottom holes. The soil in the basin had better have a certain amount of granular soil of different size, in order to permeate water and breathe freely.

According to the size of Magnolia Alba's crown and the age of the tree, appropriate pots and jars should be replaced to facilitate the vigorous growth of the plant.

Magnolia Alba Light Requirements

Every year from March to April, the pots and jars with Magnolia Alba are removed from the outdoor space and placed in a sunny place.And in midsummer hot season, the intensity of sunlight should be slightly shaded, in order to avoid burning leaves and tender stems.

Magnolia Alba Fertilizer Care

During the exuberant growth of magnolia alba (usually in May, June, or July, Or August each year), fertilizer should be applied to Magnolia Alba once every half a month or at intervals of about 20 grams of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, 2 to 6 grams each time.

Magnolia Alba Watering

Proper watering is the key to maintaining Magnolia Alba. Magnolia Alba should not be watered too often or too often. Prevent smoke pollution, keep the leaf surface clean, when necessary, spray and wash the leaf surface, in order to facilitate the normal development and growth of plants.

Magnolia Alba Temperature Care

Michelia Alba Tree is not cold-resistant, except in southern China, other areas should be in the winter maintenance, the minimum room temperature should be kept above 5℃, the time to go out of the house on Tomb-sweeping Day to grain rain is appropriate.

Pruning Magnolia Alba

Before entry, it is necessary to remove dry branches, diseased branches, proud branches and overgrown branches to reduce the nutrient consumption of plants to the greatest extent; Go out when the room can pick the old leaf that goes branch lower part appropriately, advantageous urge gives birth to new branch. In addition, attention should also be paid to aphids and other harmful shoots, and must be timely controlled.

How to Propagate Magnolia Alba

Layering and grafting are commonly used for Magnolia Alba propagation.

Magnolia Alba Propagation by Layering

Common layering: layering had better be in 2-3 months, should press the base of the branch that take cut into half depth, cut up again a paragraph, in the middle card a tile, press gently next in the earth, do not make break, insert with "U" shape thick iron wire in the earth, fix its, prevent become upturned, pile up next on the earth. Spring layering, to be sent out after the root bud can be cut off.

Magnolia Alba Propagation by Grafting

There are two kinds of grafting, one is by grafting, the other is cutting.

Bonding: bonding time, from spring to autumn, the whole growing season can be carried out. April-july was the most frequent. Rely on to join the place to be 70 centimeters from the ground to be best. After binding, it is wrapped with mud and wrapped with leaves to prevent rain erosion. After 60 days, it can be cut away.Grafting is an easier way to survive, but it does not grow as well as grafting.

Cut grafting: in mid-september and late September, select well-developed magnolia branches as scions, the cutting surface of rootstock and scion should be closely combined, bind with plastic thin film, smear mud, and bury the scion with soil to keep the soil moist. In northern China, it is necessary to cover the scion with straw in winter, and remove the mulch in the next spring. After germination, 4-5 buds on the upper part of the branch should be kept, and the rest buds should be removed. After 2-3 years of conventional curing, flowering can be achieved.

Magnolia Alba Benefits

Botanical garden

Magnolia Alba (white champaca) is erect and branching, natural and graceful. It is the backbone tree in the southern garden and cultivated in the open garden. Potted plants in the north can be decorated with courtyards, halls and meeting rooms. Small and medium-sized plants can be displayed in the sitting room, study. Because it is afraid of smoke, it should be placed in the air flow. Apart from being a fragrant plant, Magnolia Alba can also be used as a fragrant plant and as a medicinal herb.

Livable

The growing environment of white champaca has improved the growing environment of the residence as well as the master's feng shui environment. Michelia Alba Tree is fond of warm, moist, should be well ventilated, sufficient sunshine, afraid of cold, avoid damp, neither like shade, again not resistant to burning, this life, whether to host a household environment is suitable for the warm, moist and ventilation judgment standard, if a demand of the house of alba grow good, prove that these conditions are done, to judge these conditions is a house feng shui standards of good and bad.

Flower Language of Magnolia Alba

Words of grape flower -- pure love, sincerity.