Magnolia delavayi seeds, Delavay Magnolia

Magnolia delavayi seeds

Magnolia delavayi belongs to the family of the Magnoliaceae, the magnolia family. It is native to Southern China. M. delavayi is also known as Delavay magnolia. The name Delavay comes from the French missionary Delavay who collected the plant in China. However M. delavayi was described by Adrien Rene Frachet. M. delavayi grows as a small tree that reaches a height of about 9 m. It has a bushy, roundish, big treetop. Due to its big treetop M. delavayi is a popular ornamental plant. The leaves of M. delavayi are simple, longish and leathery. They are slightly glossy and are sometimes a little bit brownish. The leaves get 15 cm long and 7 cm wide. They have a short petiole and alternate at the branches. The Delavay magnolia is evergreen. The actinomorphic, cup formed flowers of M. delavayi are hermaphrodite. They have a very pleasant odor. The flowers do not bloom very long. The flowers are whitish to creamy or sometimes even a little bit rose. They reach 25 cm in diameter. The flowers stand at the end of the branches. The fruit is a follicle which includes the seeds.

Cultivation

The seeds of Magnolia delavayi need pretreatment. First they should be put for 2 days into warm water. After that they can be planted into the substrate. The seeds need a cold period for germination. Therefore the seeds in the substrate should be put for 3 month into the fridge at a temperature of about 4°C. After that stratification germination occurs at room temperature when the substrate is kept constantly moist. The germination time varies. M. delavayi is winter hardy to a certain degree. It survives mild winters.