| Houpu Magnolia | |
|---|---|
| Leaves in Arbortum in Rogów, Poland | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Magnoliales |
| Family: | Magnoliaceae |
| Genus: | Magnolia |
| Subgenus: | M. subg. Magnolia |
| Section: | M. sect. Rhytidospermum subsect. Rhytidospermum |
| Species: | M. officinalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Magnolia officinalis Rehder & Wilson |
|
Magnolia officinalis (commonly called Houpu Magnolia or Magnolia-bark) is a species of Magnolia native to the mountains and valleys of China at altitudes of 300-1500 m.
It is a deciduous tree growing to 20m in height. The bark is thick and brown but does not fissure. The leaves are broad, ovate, 20-40 cm long and 11-20 cm broad. The flowers are fragrant, 10-15 cm wide, with 9-12 (rarely to 17) white tepals, and appear from May to June.
There are two varieties:
M. officinalis differs very little from Magnolia obovata; the only difference that is consistently observed between the two being that the fruit aggregate of M. officinalis has a rounded base, while that of M. obovata has an acute base. Further research may or may not eventually determine if M. officinalis should be treated as a subspecies of M. obovata (Hunt 1998).
The bark is stripped from the stems, branches, and roots and used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is known as houpu (thus the common names). This bark is highly aromatic and contains magnolol and honokiol, two polyphenolic compounds that have demonstrated both anti-anxiety and anti-angiogenic properties. It has also been shown to reduce allergic and asthmatic reactions. Today, the bulk of bark used for commercial and domestic use is supplied by plants in cultivation.