The Magnolia grandiflora belongs to the Magnoliaceae family, also known as the American magnolia or the lotus magnolia. The Magnolia grandiflora is a evergreen tree with thick, leathery leaves, large, fragrant flowers, and a majestic, magnificent posture. This tree species is quite valuable and has a long lifespan. It is widely planted in Kunshan. The character "Guang" signifies Kunshan's broadmindedness and inclusiveness, drawing from various sources; the character "Yu" symbolizes the city's character of "Kunshan has jade, and the jade is in the people"; while the character "Lan" refers to Kunqu, the "ancestor of all operas," as the "mysterious orchid" in the opera garden. Moreover, these three characters are primarily consonant sounds, with a melodious intonation.
Characteristics of Magnolia grandiflora:
The Magnolia grandiflora is a large evergreen tree, reaching heights of 20-30 meters. Its bark is light brown or gray, cracking into thin scaly plates. The branches and buds have rust-colored fine hairs. The leaves are oblong, alternate; petioles are 1.5-4 cm long, with brown short soft hairs on the back; stipules are separate from the petioles; leaves are leathery, elliptical or inversely ovate-oblong, 10-20 cm long, 4-10 cm wide, with a blunt or acuminate tip, cuneate base, dark green and glossy above, light green and with rust-colored fine hairs below, with 8-9 pairs of lateral veins. The flowers are fragrant, white, cup-shaped, 15-20 cm in diameter, resembling lotus flowers when in bloom; peduncles are robust with pubescent hairs; sepals 9-12, obovate, thick and fleshy; stamens numerous, about 2 cm long, filaments flat and purple, anthers inward-facing, with a short pointed apex; pistils in an ovate cluster, densely covered with long velvety hairs, ovary ovate, 1-1.5 cm long, style curled. The infructescence is cylindrical-oblong or ovate, densely covered with brown or gray velvety hairs, with a long beak at the apex. Seeds are elliptical or ovate, laterally flattened, about 1.4 cm long, 6 mm wide.
Morphological Characteristics:
Evergreen tree, up to 40 meters tall. Grey-brown bark; young branches densely covered with soft fur, later turning grey-brown. Thick, leathery leaves, broadly ovate-lanceolate or inversely ovate-oblong, 14-20 cm long, 4-9 cm wide, with rust-colored short fur on the underside; petiole about 2 cm long, with faint soft fur when young. White flowers, lotus-like, 15-20 cm in diameter, fragrant; floral stalk densely covered with faint soft fur; sepals 9-13, ovate, 7-8 cm long; ovary densely covered with long fur.聚合果cylindrical, 6-8 cm long, with rust-colored fur; drupes oval, purple-brown, with an outwardly curved beak at the top. Flowering in June.
Origin and Distribution of Magnolia grandiflora:
Oleander is native to South America, distributed in North America, the Yangtze River basin and southward, as well as in northern regions like Beijing and Lanzhou, where it has been artificially introduced and cultivated. It is the city tree of Changzhou, Nantong, and Lianyungang in Jiangsu Province, Hefei in Anhui Province, and Yuyao in Zhejiang Province. It is also quite common in Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou in the Yangtze River basin.
