| Port Wine Magnolia , Banana Shrub | |
|---|---|
| Michelia figo 'Purple Queen'; a cultivar | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Magnoliales |
| Family: | Magnoliaceae |
| Genus: | Michelia |
| Species: | M. figo |
| Binomial name | |
| Michelia figo (Lour.) Spreng. |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Liriodendron figo |
|
The Banana Shrub or Port Wine Magnolia (Michelia figo) is an evergreen tree growing to 3-4 m tall. It is native to China.
Initially described as by Portuguese missionary and naturalist João de Loureiro as Liriodendron figo, it was reclassified as Michelia figo by German botanist Curt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel. In 2006, a cladistic analysis of the genus Michelia found them to lie within the genus Magnolia.
It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens for its fragrant flowers. The leaves are leathery, dark glossy-green, to 10 cm long. The flowers are cream-white, purple rounded or light-purple; strongly scented. This plant is used in Shanghai, China, as a tall evergreen hedge. It grows to a large evergreen compact tree. It grows in acid and alkaline soil very well. Susceptible to black soot.
Media related to Magnolia figo at Wikimedia Commons