MAGNOLIACEAE

Magnoliaceae, magnolia family of the order Magnoliales that contains at least two genera and nearly 250 species, including many handsome, fragrant-flowering trees and shrubs. Most have simple leaves and an elongated conelike floral axis with flowers that have six tepals (sepals and petals that are not distinctly different), many spirally arranged stamens, and one, two, or many carpels (female reproductive structures). The seeds of many species hang by threads from the conelike fruits. In most species the flowers are bisexual and are borne on branch tips. The long floral axis, spiral arrangement of the flower parts, and simple vessels (water-conducting cells) in the wood all mark the family as a primitive one on the evolutionary scale. Although the fossil record indicates that the family was once widely distributed in Eurasia and North America, it is now concentrated in the southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and in East and Southeast Asia, with only a few species in the Southern Hemisphere.

Several species in the Magnolioideae are grown for their dried flower buds, known as xinyi (辛夷), which are used medicinally. In addition, HOUPOEA officinalis (Magnolia officinalis) is extensively grown for its medicinal bark. All species in the family are ornamental, and many are grown in public and private gardens throughout much of China and in other parts of the world.

Plant from Magnoliaceae:

• Magnolia candoleii