Magnolia kobus

Classification

Two varieties of Magnolia kobus are recognized by some sources, such as Hortus Third, with var. borealis being a tree to 25 m (75 ft) high, with leaves to 15 cm (6 in) long, and var. kobus, a tree to 10 m (30 ft) high, with leaves to 10 cm (4 in) long.

Magnolia kobus is classified within Magnolia subgenus Yulania.

The kobus magnolia is closely related to the star magnolia (Magnolia stellata), and some authorities consider the star magnolia to be a variety of M. kobus, M. kobus var. stellata.

Description

Magnolia kobus blooms in the early spring, bearing pleasantly fragrant white flowers with hints of pale pink about 10 cm (4 in) in diameter. The flowers are produced before the leaves, as with most members of Magnolia subgenus Yulania. Young trees do not flower.

The summer foliage of the kobus magnolia is dark green. Leaves have an obovate shape with a pointed tip, a smooth, or glabrous, leaf underside, and smooth, even edges. Leaves are 8–15 cm (3–6 in) long, in an alternating arrangement. In autumn, the leaves take on a yellow color and drop from the tree.

The fruit of the kobus magnolia grows in groups of small red seeds. The groupings are one to three inches in size, and the seeds attract birds.

Older bark, such as that of the trunk, is grey-brown, while new stems are green with small brown spots. There is a strong odor to broken branches or twigs.

Several news outlets reported that in November 1982, seeds estimated to be 2,000 years old was found by a Hiroshi Utsunomiya of Yamaguchi University in a pit in the ancient Bronze Age village of Asada. He planted a number of seeds, assuming that they would not grow. However, this assumption was proven incorrect. Interestingly, the flowers of the grown plant had 7 or 8 petals on its blossoms rather than the six petals typical of a kobus magnolia.

Gallery

Jacksal Magnolia.jpg|Jaekseol tea blended with magnolia petals Magnolia kobus ripen seeds.jpg|Fruit 3611-Magnolia_kobus-Arb.Brno-9.12.JPG|Autumn buds Kobushimodoki_Flower.JPG|Flowers Magnolia_kobus_6zz.jpg|Leaves

References

References

1. Cirrus Digital: [http://www.cirrusimage.com/tree_magnolia_n_japanese.htm Northern Japanese Magnolia ''Magnolia kobus'']
2. "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species".
3. (2015). "English Names for Korean Native Plants". [[Korea National Arboretum]].
4. {{GRIN
5. Bailey, Liberty Hyde. (1976). "Hortus Third: A Concise Dictionary of the Plants Cultivated in the United States and Canada". MacMillan (and Collier MacMillan, London).
6. "Scientist Grows Magnolia from Seed Found in 2,000-Year-Old Tomb".
7. "BBC Two - The Private Life of Plants".