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Magnolia officinalis
Also called Magnolia-bark
Houpu magnolia is a deciduous tree from the mountains of China, grown for its large fragrant white flowers and aromatic bark used in traditional Chinese medicine. It is a tree for open ground rather than a houseplant, and it needs space and a moist, well-drained site.
Magnolia officinalis (commonly called houpu magnolia or magnolia bark) is a species of Magnolia native to the mountains and valleys of China at elevations of 300–1500 m. It is a deciduous tree up to 20 m tall with broad, fragrant white flowers and two varieties distinguished by leaf shape, differing slightly from Magnolia obovata primarily in fruit base shape.
Its aromatic bark, traditionally used in Chinese medicine as "hou po," is now primarily sourced from cultivated plants.
The highly aromatic bark is stripped from the stems, branches, and roots and used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is known as hou po (厚朴; thus the common name). The traditional use indications are to eliminate damp and phlegm, and relieve distension.
Ashe's Magnolia · Magnolia boliviana · Campbell's Magnolia · Magnolia cararensis · Champak · Prosperous Music Smiling Tree · Magnolia coco · Compressed Michelia · Dawson's magnolia · Cloudforest magnolia · Chinese Evergreen Magnolia · Lilytree
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Magnolia officinalis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
