Michelia

Last updated April 08, 2023

Michelia is a historical genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Magnoliaceae. The genus included about 50 species of evergreen trees and shrubs, native to tropical and subtropical south and southeast Asia (Indomalaya), including southern China. Today it is regarded as a synonym of Magnolia .^[1]

Description

The Magnoliaceae are an ancient family; fossil plants identifiably belonging to the Magnoliaceae date back 95 million years. A primitive aspect of the Magnolia family is that their large, cup-shaped flowers lack distinct petals or sepals. The large non-specialized flower parts, resembling petals, are called tepals.

The leaves, flowers, and form of Michelia resemble Magnolia, but the blossoms of Michelia generally form clusters among the leaves, rather than singly at the branch ends as Magnolia does.

Uses

Several of the larger species are locally important sources of timber. Some species, including the champak (Michelia champaca) and Michelia doltsopa are grown for their flowers, both on the tree and as cut flowers. Champak flowers are also used to produce an essential oil for perfume. A few species have been introduced to gardens or as street trees outside of the Indomalaya region, including Michelia figo , M. doltsopa, and M. champaca. The genus is named after the Florentine botanist Pietro Antonio Micheli (1679–1737). They grow to the height of 10–45 metres

Recent changes in classification

Morphological data^[2] and molecular data^[3]^[4] recently showed that the genus Michelia is very closely related to subgenus Yulania of genus Magnolia. Many botanists now treat the genus Michelia accordingly. New combinations of names have been provided for. For further information see under genus Magnolia .

Some former Michelia species

Some species formerly placed in Michelia include the following. Synonyms are from Plants of the World Online, as of March 2022^[update].^[5]

Michelia aeneaDandy, synonym of Magnolia foveolata Merr. ex Dandy
Michelia × albaDC., synonym of Magnolia × alba. White champaca or white sandalwood, considered to be a hybrid between Magnolia champaca and Magnolia montana .
Michelia calcicolaC.Y. Wu ex Y.-W. Law & Y.-F. Wu, synonym of Magnolia fulva var. calcicola

Flower and leaves of Magnolia champaca Magnolia1.jpg — Flower and leaves of *Magnolia champaca*

Michelia champacaL., synonym of Magnolia champaca . Champak. Native to India, Java, and the Philippines. A tree or shrub which grows from 3 to 6 meters high and wide. Glossy bright green leaves to 16 cm. Produces fragrant orange, yellow, or creamy white flowers in the spring. The flowers of this plant produce an essential oil that is used in perfume.
Michelia compressa(Maxim.) Sarg., synonym of Magnolia compressa
Michelia coriaceaHung T.Chang & B.L.Chen, synonym of Magnolia coriacea
Michelia doltsopaBuch.-Ham. ex DC., synonym of Magnolia doltsopa . Large shrubs and trees, growing to 30 meters. Native to the eastern Himalayas and Meghalaya subtropical forests. Varies in form from bushy to narrow and upright. Leathery dark-green leaves, 6 to 17 cm in length. Clusters of creamy white flowers in winter. Growing in popularity as a street tree in coastal California.
Michelia figo(Lour.) Spreng., synonym of Magnolia figo (basionym: Liriodendron figoLour.) Banana shrub. A slow growing shrub or small tree that can grow up to 5 meters high and nearly as wide. Densely covered with small glossy green leaves. Bears clusters of large, white, sometimes purple-streaked, flowers with a potent, sweet banana scent. 'Port Wine' is a cultivar that bears rose to maroon flowers.
Michelia fulgensDandy, synonym of Magnolia foveolata
Michelia fuscata(Andrews) Blume ex Wall., synonym Magnolia figo var. figo
Michelia hedyospermaY.-W. Law, synonym of Magnolia hypolampra
Michelia hypolampraDandy, synonym of Magnolia hypolampra
Michelia ingrataChen & Yang, synonym of Magnolia fulva var. fulva
Michelia laevifoliaY.-W. Law & Y.-F. Wu, synonym of Magnolia laevifolia
Michelia longistylaY.-W. Law & Y.-F. Wu, synonym of Magnolia foveolata
Michelia montanaBlume, synonym of Magnolia montana .
Michelia nilagiricaZenker, synonym of Magnolia nilagirica . Native to southern India.
Michelia odora(W.Y. Chun) Noot. & Chen, synonym of Magnolia odora
Michelia punduanaHook.f. & Thomson, synonym of Magnolia punduana . Native to Meghalaya subtropical forests.
Michelia wilsoniiFinet & Gagnep., synonym of Magnolia ernestii
Michelia skinnerianaDunn, synonym of Magnolia figo var. skinneriana
Michelia xanthanthaC.Y. Wu ex Y.-W. Law & Y.-F. Wu, synonym of Magnolia xanthantha
Michelia yunnanensisFranch. ex Finet & Gapnep., synonym of Magnolia laevifolia

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnoliaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

The Magnoliaceae are a flowering plant family, the magnolia family, in the order Magnoliales. It consists of two genera: Magnolia and Liriodendron.

Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 to 340 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol.

Plumeria, also known as frangipani, is a genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Rauvolfioideae, of the family Apocynaceae. Most species are deciduous shrubs or small trees. The species variously are endemic to the Neotropical realm, but are sometimes grown as cosmopolitan ornamentals in warm regions.

Magnolia figo is an evergreen tree in the magnolia genus. It grows to 3–4 metres tall. It is native to China.

Magnolia champaca, known in English as champak, is a large evergreen tree in the family Magnoliaceae. It was previously classified as Michelia champaca. It is known for its fragrant flowers, and its timber used in woodworking.

Magnolia doltsopa is a large shrub or small tree native to the eastern Himalayan region and the Meghalaya subtropical forests in Northeastern India. The wood is fragrant.

Magnolia cylindrica, the Huangshan magnolia, is a species of plant in the family Magnoliaceae. It is endemic to southeastern China. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Manglietia was the name of a genus of flowering plants in the family Magnoliaceae, with about 40 Asian species listed. The genus is now considered a synonym of the well-known and similar Magnolia.

Magnolia foveolata is a species of plant in the family Magnoliaceae native to China and Vietnam.

Magnolia coriacea is a species of flowering plant in the family Magnoliaceae. It is native to China. There are no more than about 500 individuals remaining of this endangered species.

Polyalthia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Annonaceae. There are approximately 90 species distributed from Africa to Asia and the Pacific.

Magnolia poasana is a sub-tropical to tropical, subcanopy tree, growing in areas of montane rainforest. The names "Poas", and "poasana" originate from the Poás Volcano in Costa Rica where, along with Panama, they grow in the wild. First described by Henri François Pittier in 1910, it was later described and included in Magnolia by James Edgar Dandy (1927).

<i>Magnolia <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> alba</i> Species of tree

Magnolia × alba, also known as the white champaca, white sandalwood, or white jade orchid tree, is a flowering plant of hybrid origin that is commonly cultivated in Southeast Asia and tropical regions of East Asia. Although the exact origin is uncertain, it is considered to be a hybrid of Magnolia champaca and Magnolia montana.

James Edgar Dandy was a British botanist, Keeper of Botany at the British Museum between 1956 and 1966. He was a world specialist on the plant genus Potamogeton and the family Magnoliaceae.

Magnolia liliifera, commonly known as egg magnolia, is a flowering tree native to the Indomalayan realm. It bears white to cream-colored flowers on terminal stems. The leaves are elliptical and get as large as 25 cm (10 in) long and 8 cm (3 in) wide. The tree ranges in height from 3.5 to 18.5 m in situ.

Magnolia nilagirica is a species of plant in the family Magnoliaceae. It is a tree that is threatened by habitat loss, endemic to the Western Ghats of India, and also Sri Lanka.

Magnolia fulva is a species of flowering plant in the family Magnoliaceae, native to south-central China and Vietnam. It was first described, as Michelia fulva, in 1987.

Magnolia chapensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Magnoliaceae, native to southern China and northern Vietnam. A tree reaching 30 m (100 ft), it is hardy to USDA zone 7b. It has found wide use as a street tree in southern Chinese cities.

Magnolia oblonga, also known as borsopa, ful-sopa, or kothal-sopa, is a tree species native to the Northeastern region of India. It can grow up to 50 meters high and is usually buttressed at the base.

Magnolia macclurei is a species of flowering plant in the family Magnoliaceae, native to southern China, including Hainan, and northern Vietnam. A tree reaching 30 m (98 ft), it is found growing in evergreen broadleaf forests, from 200 to 1,500 m above sea level.

References

↑ Richard B. Figlar. "A Brief Taxonomic History of Magnolia".
↑ Figlar, R. B. (2000). "Proleptic branch initiation in Michelia and Magnolia subgenus Yulania provides basis for combinations in subfamily Magnolioideae". In Liu Yu-hu; et al. (eds.). Proceedings of the International Symposium on the Family Magnoliaceae. Beijing: Science Press. pp. 14–25.
↑ Azuma, Hiroshi; Thien, Leonard B; Kawano, Shoichi (September 1999). "Molecular Phylogeny of Magnolia (Magnoliaceae) Inferred from cpDNA Sequences and Evolutionary Divergence of the Floral Scents". Journal of Plant Research. 112 (3): 291–306. doi:10.1007/PL00013885. S2CID 206862607.
↑ Kim, S; Park, CW; Kim, YD; Suh, Y (April 2001). "Phylogenetic relationships in family Magnoliaceae inferred from ndhF sequences". American Journal of Botany. 88 (4): 717–28. doi:10.2307/2657073. JSTOR 2657073. PMID 11302859.
↑ "Welcome to Plants of the World Online". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Archived from the original on March 22, 2017. Retrieved 2022-03-25.

External links

"Michelia" at the Encyclopedia of Life
"Michelia". National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
"Michelia". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 3 April 2015.

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[1] Richard B. Figlar. "A Brief Taxonomic History of Magnolia".

[2] Figlar, R. B. (2000). "Proleptic branch initiation in Michelia and Magnolia subgenus Yulania provides basis for combinations in subfamily Magnolioideae". In Liu Yu-hu; et al. (eds.). Proceedings of the International Symposium on the Family Magnoliaceae. Beijing: Science Press. pp. 14–25.

[3] Azuma, Hiroshi; Thien, Leonard B; Kawano, Shoichi (September 1999). "Molecular Phylogeny of Magnolia (Magnoliaceae) Inferred from cpDNA Sequences and Evolutionary Divergence of the Floral Scents". Journal of Plant Research. 112 (3): 291–306. doi:10.1007/PL00013885. S2CID 206862607.

[4] Kim, S; Park, CW; Kim, YD; Suh, Y (April 2001). "Phylogenetic relationships in family Magnoliaceae inferred from ndhF sequences". American Journal of Botany. 88 (4): 717–28. doi:10.2307/2657073. JSTOR 2657073. PMID 11302859.

[5] "Welcome to Plants of the World Online". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Archived from the original on March 22, 2017. Retrieved 2022-03-25.

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