Magnolia grandiflora (Southern magnolia, "Taisanboku")

Japanese name: タイサンボク （泰山木）
Scientific name: Magnolia grandiflora

[Overview]
An evergreen tree growing over 20 m tall.
Thick branches spread out horizontally.
The leaves are simple and alternate, oblong, 10–23 cm long and 4–10 cm wide, thick and leathery.
The upper surface of the leaf is dark green and glossy, and the underside is densely covered with fine brown hairs.
The leaf margins curve back toward the underside and are entire.
The petiole is 2–3 cm.
The flowers are borne singly at the branch tips, facing upward, about 15–25 cm across, white and fragrant.
There is no distinction between sepals and corolla, and there are 9 thick tepals in 3 whorls of 3.
The fruit is an oblong follicle 8–12 cm long, which splits open when ripe to release red seeds.

[History]
It was introduced to Japan in the Meiji period.

[Uses]
The buds and leaves are used medicinally.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained, fertile place with deep soil.
Because it grows large, it is not suited to pots and needs plenty of space.
Transplanting a mature tree is difficult.
Rainfall is sufficient for watering.
Apply slow-release fertilizer three times: in early summer before flowering, in autumn, and as fertilizer in winter.
Because it has few branches, do not prune; only thin out branches, but if pruning is done, do it as soon as possible after flowering.
Pests and diseases are relatively few, but scale insects and longhorn beetles occur.

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