Magnolia dealbata

Magnolia dealbata
Conservation status
	; Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Magnoliids
Order:	Magnoliales
Family:	Magnoliaceae
Genus:	Magnolia
Subgenus:	Magnolia subg. Magnolia
Section:	Magnolia sect. Macrophylla
Species:	M. dealbata
Binomial name
	Magnolia dealbata; Zucc.
Synonyms
	Magnolia macrophylla var. dealbata (Zucc.) D.L.Johnson; Metamagnolia dealbata (Zucc.) Sima & S.G.Lu;

Magnolia dealbata is a species of flowering plant in the family Magnoliaceae, native to Mexico. It is known commonly as the cloudforest magnolia^[3] and eloxochitl.^[4] It is sometimes considered to be a subspecies of Magnolia macrophylla, which is otherwise native to the southeastern United States.^[1]

Description

Magnolia dealbata is a deciduous tree, growing to average heights of 80 feet tall.^[5] Larger individuals can reach 130 to 165 feet in height.^[6] The flowers are large and white up to 8 inches long. Leaves are broad, reaching 20 inches in length.^[5]

Distribution and habitat

This species is endemic to cloud forests in the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca of northern Oaxaca in eastern Mexico, where it ranges from 600 and 1,900 meters elevation. More than ten subpopulations have been observed, and the species' estimated extent of occurrence is 2,750 to 3,000 km². The largest population includes over a thousand trees.^[1]

It grows in humid montane cloud forests, alongside Magnolia oaxacensis, Pinus chiapensis, Quercus laurina, Liquidambar styraciflua, and Clethra sp.^[4]^[1]

Populations identified as M. dealbata in the Sierra Madre Oriental of Querétaro, Veracruz, Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosí correspond to more recently-described species including Magnolia nuevoleonensis, Magnolia rzedowskiana, and Magnolia vovidesii.^[1]

The species was once thought to be extinct until being rediscovered in 1977.^[7]

Etymology

The name eloxochitl was given to the tree by the Aztecs. It is derived from the Nahuatl word elotl meaning "green ear of corn", and xochitl meaning "flower".^[4]

Uses

Magnolia dealbata is cultivated as an ornamental plant, used as a flowering tree in gardens. It is also used for timber, and as a traditional medicinal plant for heart conditions, asthma, and stomach pain.^[1]^[8] The flowers are used as decorations for spiritual and cultural events as well.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Rivers, M.C. (2016). "Magnolia dealbata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T88558975A2796189. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T88558975A2796189.en. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
^ "Magnolia dealbata Zucc". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Magnolia dealbata". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c Pattison, Graham (18 October 2022). "Magnolia Dealbata" (PDF). Magnolia Society.
^ ^a ^b Corral-Aguirre, Juan; Sánchez-Velásquez, Lázaro Rafae (12 April 2006). "Seed ecology and germination treatments in Magnolia dealbata: An endangered species". Flora - Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants. 201 (3): 227–232. doi:10.1016/j.flora.2005.07.004 – via ScienceDirect.
^ Grímsson, Friđgeir; Meller, Barbara; Bouchal, Johannes M.; Zetter, Reinhard (2015-04-03). "Combined LM and SEM study of the middle Miocene (Sarmatian) palynoflora from the Lavanttal Basin, Austria: part III. Magnoliophyta 1 – Magnoliales to Fabales". Grana. 54 (2): 85–128. doi:10.1080/00173134.2015.1007081. ISSN 0017-3134. S2CID 216591875.
^ Vovides, A. P., & Iglesias, C. G. (1996). Seed germination of Magnolia dealbata Zucc.(Magnoliaceae), an endangered species from Mexico. HortScience, 31(5), 877-877.
^ Mata-Rosas, M., Jiménez-Rodríguez, Á., & Chávez-Avila, V. M. (2006). Somatic embryogenesis and organogenesis in Magnolia dealbata Zucc.(Magnoliaceae), an endangered, endemic Mexican species. HortScience, 41(5), 1325-1329.

Media related to Magnolia dealbata at Wikimedia Commons

[iucn-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Rivers, M.C. (2016). "Magnolia dealbata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T88558975A2796189. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T88558975A2796189.en. Retrieved 24 January 2023.

[powo-2] "Magnolia dealbata Zucc". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.

[3] USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Magnolia dealbata". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 28 June 2015.

[:0-4] Pattison, Graham (18 October 2022). "Magnolia Dealbata" (PDF). Magnolia Society.

[:1-5] Corral-Aguirre, Juan; Sánchez-Velásquez, Lázaro Rafae (12 April 2006). "Seed ecology and germination treatments in Magnolia dealbata: An endangered species". Flora - Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants. 201 (3): 227–232. doi:10.1016/j.flora.2005.07.004 – via ScienceDirect.

[6] Grímsson, Friđgeir; Meller, Barbara; Bouchal, Johannes M.; Zetter, Reinhard (2015-04-03). "Combined LM and SEM study of the middle Miocene (Sarmatian) palynoflora from the Lavanttal Basin, Austria: part III. Magnoliophyta 1 – Magnoliales to Fabales". Grana. 54 (2): 85–128. doi:10.1080/00173134.2015.1007081. ISSN 0017-3134. S2CID 216591875.

[7] Vovides, A. P., & Iglesias, C. G. (1996). Seed germination of Magnolia dealbata Zucc.(Magnoliaceae), an endangered species from Mexico. HortScience, 31(5), 877-877.

[8] Mata-Rosas, M., Jiménez-Rodríguez, Á., & Chávez-Avila, V. M. (2006). Somatic embryogenesis and organogenesis in Magnolia dealbata Zucc.(Magnoliaceae), an endangered, endemic Mexican species. HortScience, 41(5), 1325-1329.

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