Manglieta insignis seeds, red lotus tree

 

Manglieta insignis belongs to the family of the Magnoliaceae, the magnolia family. M. insignis occurs amongst others in Tibet. There it occurs even in the mountains until 2400 m above sea level. M. insignis is also known as red lotus tree. The red lotus tree grows as a tree and reaches a height of 12 m in average. In gets rarely 30 m high. The bark is grayish. The trunk reaches 60 cm in diameter. The leaves of M. insignis are simple, lanceolate and can reach a length of up to 25 cm and get 5 cm wide. The leaves are slightly glossy and deep green. The red lotus tree is ever green. At flowering time not all flowers open at once. They appear one after the other at the tree. The petals are thick and fleshy. They are rose in color but get white in the center. Even the buds of the flowers are spectacular. They are also rose and stand upright at the branches. It looks like one has put many candles onto the branches. The flowers have a very pleasant odor. The plant does not always bloom in the first year. One has to have some patient. But it is worth it! The fruit is longish and purple. It gets 8 cm long. The seeds have a red aril. The seeds are distributed by birds. In recent research they investigated phenols and terpenoids that they isolated from the leaves of M. insignis. Maybe they have a great effect.

 

Cultivation

The seeds of M. insignis need pretreatment. They should be put into warm water for 1 to 2 days. After that they should be stratified. Therefore the seeds should be put into the fridge for 3 month at a temperature of about 4 °C. After the stratification germination occurs at a temperature of 23°C and constantly moist substrate. In the first winter M. insignis should be kept inside during winter. In the following year it can stay outside during the cold season.