Magnolia liliiflora

{{Short description|Species of tree}}

{{Distinguish|Magnolia liliifera}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = Magnolienbluete freiburg.jpg

| genus = Magnolia

| display_parents = 3

| parent = Magnolia subsect. Yulania

| species = liliiflora

| authority = Desr.

| synonyms =

{{Plainlist | style = margin-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em; |

• Lassonia quinquepeta Buc'hoz
• Magnolia atropurpurea Steud.
• Magnolia discolor Vent.
• Magnolia gracilis Salisb.
• Magnolia plena C.L.Peng & L.H.Yan
• Magnolia polytepala Y.W.Law, R.Z.Zhou & R.J.Zhang
• Magnolia purpurea Curtis
• Magnolia quinquepeta (Buc'hoz) Dandy
• Talauma sieboldii Miq.
• Yulania japonica Spach
• Yulania liliiflora (Desr.) D.L.Fu

}}

| synonyms_ref = {{citation

|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-117687

|title=The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species

|accessdate=29 May 2016}}

}}

Magnolia liliiflora is a small tree native to southwest China (in Sichuan and Yunnan), but cultivated for centuries elsewhere in China and also Japan. Variously known by many names, including Mulan magnolia, purple magnolia, red magnolia, lily magnolia, tulip magnolia and woody-orchid, it was first introduced to English-speaking countries from cultivated Japanese origins, and is thus also sometimes called Japanese magnolia, though it is not native to Japan. It is now also planted as an ornamental in North America and Europe, though rather less often than its popular hybrid (see below).

It is a deciduous shrub, exceptionally a small tree, to 4m tall (smaller than most other magnolias), and blooms profusely in early spring with large pink to purple showy flowers, before the leaf buds open. It is one of the slowest-growing trees, with a growth rate of 15 - 30 centimeters (6–12 in) when young.{{Cite web |last=DeAngelis |first=Zack |date=2022-01-03 |title=Slowest Growing Trees (And Why They Grow So Slow) - Tree Journey |url=https://treejourney.com/slowest-growing-trees-and-why-they-grow-so-slow/ |access-date=2023-09-21 |language=en-US}}

The cultivar 'Nigra', with flowers much deeper in colour than the species, has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.{{cite web | url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/95584/i-Magnolia-liliiflora-i-Nigra/Details?returnurl=%2fplants%2fsearch-results%3fform-mode%3dtrue%26query%3dmagnolia%2bnigra%26aliaspath%3d%252fplants%252fsearch-results

| title= Magnolia liliiflora 'Nigra'

| publisher=Royal Horticultural Society | date=2017 | accessdate=2017-01-23}} It prefers an acid or neutral soil, in full sun or light shade.

This species is one of the parents of the popular hybrid saucer magnolia, M. × soulangeana, the other parent being the Yulan magnolia, M. denudata.

Image:Japanese magnolia.jpg]]

Image:Magnolia liliiflora2.jpg

Image:Magnolia liliiflora 2015 G1.jpg

File:Japanese magnolia -- Magnolia liliiflora.jpg

File:紫玉蘭 20191224155204 01.jpg