Magnolia × alba, commonly known as the white champaca, is a flowering plant of hybrid origin found nowhere in the wild and cultivated for ornamental use. It is a hybrid of Magnolia champaca

Michelia champaca

Magnolia champaca is a large evergreen tree, native to the Indomalaya ecozone . It is best known for its strongly fragrant yellow or white flowers. It is, however, primarily cultivated for its timber, and is also used in urban landscaping...

and Magnolia montana

Magnolia montana

Magnolia montana is a species of Magnolia native to the Western Malesia region of the Indomalaya ecozone.- See also :*Magnolia × alba*Magnolia champaca*Michelia-External links:* from the Magnolia Society.*...

.

Names

The white champaca is known by various names in English and other languages, including pak lan (in Hawaiian

Hawaiian

Hawaiian may refer to:* People from Hawaii* Hawaiian language* Native Hawaiians* The Hawaiians, a football team in the World Football League from 1974 to 1975* Hawaiian Airlines, a commercial airline* Hawaiian music...

 and Cantonese

Cantonese

Cantonese is a dialect spoken primarily in south China.Cantonese may also refer to:* Yue Chinese, the Chinese language that includes Cantonese* Cantonese cuisine, the cuisine of Guangdong province...

).

Description

Magnolia × alba matures to 30 meters with evergreen leaves; the flowers have a count of 12 tepals.

Uses

Magnolia × alba is wideley cultivated as an ornamental

Ornamental plant

Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...

 in Asia, particularly tropical and subtropical regions of China and Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

 for the strongly fragrant flowers. An essential oil

Essential oil

An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove...

 is extracted from the flowers. In China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, where it is known as bai lan (白蘭), the flowers are used to prepare yulan tea

Tea

Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...

. In traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...

, the flowers are used to move qi

Qi

In traditional Chinese culture, qì is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Qi is frequently translated as life energy, lifeforce, or energy flow. Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts...

and relieve cough.

External links

• Magnolia classification from the Magnolia Society.