Magnolia ×wieseneri (Watson's magnolia, "Ukezakioyamarenge")

Japanese name: ウケザキオオヤマレンゲ （受咲大山蓮華）
Scientific name: Magnolia ×wieseneri

[Overview]
A deciduous shrub or small tree 4.5–7.5 m tall, thought to be a hybrid between Hoonoki and Oba-oyamarenge.
It has a somewhat rounded shape.
The leaves are simple and alternate, clustered at the branch tips, 10–20 cm long and about 10 cm wide, obovate to elliptic, with the base narrowing in a wedge shape.
The underside of the leaf is tinged white, and the whole leaf has pressed hairs.
The leaf margin is entire and slightly wavy.
The leaf stalk is 2–5 cm long.
At the base of the leaf stalk there is a stipule scar encircling the branch.
The flowers are borne singly at the branch tips, facing upward, and are ivory white; there are 9 tepals, and the outer 3 tepals take on a pale pink tinge as the flower opens.
There are many stamens, and the anthers are pale pink.
The flower is cup-shaped at first, then opens flat to about 15–20 cm across.
The flowers are fragrant.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by grafting.
Mature trees are difficult to transplant.
It prefers sun to partial shade and a well-drained, deep, moderately moist, fertile, slightly acidic soil.
It dislikes extremely dry or wet places.
Take care not to let it dry out; for potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries, and for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless summer brings a long spell of sunny weather and the soil dries out.
Apply organic fertilizer in winter and also after flowering as a thank-you fertilizer.
It dislikes pruning, so limit it to cutting unneeded branches soon after flowering.
Pests and diseases are relatively few, but scale insects and longhorn beetles occur.

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