1598 The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



1. Var. gracilis , Dippel, Laubholzkun.de, iii. 151 (1893). 



Magnolia gracilis, Salisbury, Farad. Land, t 87 (1806); Loudon, Arb. et Frut. Brit. i. 283 (1838). 



Branchlets slender ; leaves narrower ; flowers smaller, dark purple. Introduced 

 from Japan in 1804. 



M. denudata is a native of China, where it has not, however, so far as I know, 

 been collected in the wild state. It is mentioned in the earliest Chinese literature 

 under the name mu-lan, which it still bears. It is cultivated throughout China and 

 Japan, having been introduced into the latter country at an early period. It was 

 brought to England from Japan by Thunberg in 1790; and is occasionally cultivated, 

 though it is not so ornamental as the hybrids. It produces its flowers just after 

 M. conspicua. (A. H.) 



MAGNOLIA PARVIFLORA 



Magnolia parviflora, Siebold and Zuccarini, in Abh. Akad. Miinchen, iv. pt. ii. 187 (1846); 

 Maximowicz, in Mil. Biol. viii. 509 (1872); J. D. Hooker, in Bot. Mag. t. 741 1 (1895); 

 Shirasawa, Icon. Ess. Forest. Japon, ii. t. 17, figs. 1-5 (1908). 



A deciduous shrub, 1 attaining about 10 ft. high in Japan. Young branchlets 

 covered more or less with a minute pubescence. Leaves membranous, 4 to 5 in. 

 long, z\ to 3 in. wide, obovate or oval, shortly acuminate at the apex, rounded at 

 the base ; upper surface shining dark green, glabrous ; lower surface bluish white, 

 more or less covered with a scattered minute pubescence, denser and longer on the 

 midrib and nerves ; lateral nerves about nine pairs, greenish, as is also the margin ; 

 petiole pubescent. 



Flowers appearing in June after the leaves, on long stalks ; cup-shaped, 

 fragrant, 3J to 4 in. across ; sepals pink, nearly as large as the petals, soon reflexed ; 

 petals six, obovate, very concave, white. 



This handsome species is a native of Japan, where it occurs in mountain woods 

 at high elevations on the main island and in Kiusiu. It was introduced into Kew 

 from Yokohama in 1893, and flowered in the following year. It is said to be rather 

 tender at Leonardslee 2 ; but thrives at Westonbirt, where a small shrub was bearing 

 flowers on 25th May 1912. (A. H.) 



MAGNOLIA WATSONI 



Magnolia Watsoni, J. D. Hooker, in Bot. Mag. t. 7157 (1891); Masters, in Gard. Chron. xvi. 188, 

 fig. 29 (1894); Nicholson, in Gard. Chron. xvii. 516, fig. 72 (1895). 



A deciduous shrub. Young branchlets glabrous. Leaves slightly coriaceous, 

 about 5 to 6 in. long and 3 to 3^ in. broad, obovate to elliptical, acute at the 

 apex, tapering at the base ; upper surface light green, pubescent on the midrib, 



1 Maximowicz, loc. at., states that this is occasionally a large tree ; but Shirasawa gives its height as about 10 feet. 



2 Gard. Chron. xli. 222 (1907). 



