Magnolia Delavavi Franchet

This fine has the British Isles, especially in Cornwall, distinction of being the largest leaved where the I'inest specimen known is evergreen that can be grown out-of- growing at Caerhays Castle and is fifty doors in the British Isles. Strictly feet tall (in 1971) with a spread of speaking, it is only properly hardy in branches afeet. Its normal season favored parts of the Kingdom. more of flowering is May, but intermittently especially in Cornish gardens. At Kew, throughout the summer and autumn however. it can be grown against a blossoms open. This Magnolia does wall. It freely, producing large not appear to be in cultivation in cup-shaped, waxy blossoms whose America, though it would certainly spicy odor fills the air around. Its thrive in California and other warm erect. cone-hke fruit when the scarlet states. ' Millais in his work on jacketed seeds hang suspended is savs of this species: handsome. This is a native of "The best I have seen are tv o where it was discovered in the placed close together in a high wood western parts of the province in May above the castle at Caerhays, and they 1886 by Pere J.M. Delavayp Later it are about the finest evergreen in was found as far east as the mountains that wonderf'ul garden. The largest of north of Mengtsze by A. Henry. Its these is now 25 feet high and 74 feet altitudinal range is from about 4500 to round the whole spread of the tree. 7500 I'eet above sea level. There is a fine against the wall of On my return from Szemao in Gunnersbury House, near London, and October 1899 I came upon it quite accidentally. There was one large tree near the village of Lutung-po, at an altitude of 7500 feet, growing along side of several trees of Pinus Armandi. The tree was in ripe fruit, and clambering up among the branches I quickly secured fifty or more cones. These were carefully transported to Hongkong where I extracted the seeds (tt99 Veitch seed) and sent them, some packed in earth and some in paper packets, to Messrs. Veitch. The seeds in the packets all perished en route, but those in earth arrived in a variable state and a number of seedlings were raised and were later distnbuted. The plant presented to Kew and planted in the Himalayan House flowered for the first time in July 1908. Since then Magnolia delavayi ar Hunringron many other plants have 11owered in the Garden, San Marino, Crrliforrria. day we may think very highly of the qualities of a Magnolia which has few equals as an evergreen tree. M. Deiavayi layers very easily, and I have increased it in this manner. These layers take about two years to root. " This Magnolia was one of the very lirst good finds I made in my plant hunting career.

3. The type of this species is the collection Delavay ((223) made in 1886. No herbarium specimens by E. H. Wilson have been seen. 4. Wilson left blank spaces in the manuscript, apparently intending to acquire the information in person or by correspondence. The frequency with which Wilson refers to the Caerhays plants Bud of Magnolia delavayi. suggests that a special trip to the Cornwall garden would be desirable. Mr. J. F. Williams has been helpful in supplying several examples in the good good some bits of information but can not be south-western gardens of the counties. expected to answer all questions. Caerhays I have also seen it growing well in may have the largest number of Wilson south-west Scotland. In my garden it introductions and most certainly the largest has reached 18 feet on a wall where it number obtained from Veitch of the first flowers annually about the end of June two Wilson expeditions. or early July. " 5. "An Annotated Checklist of Woody "Like all other Magnolias it is Ornamental Plants of California. Oregon always a mistake to estimate the and Washington" by E. McClintock and T Keiser is useful flowering qualities of a 'species' until A. (1979) to determine many of the plants under cultivation m the the plant attains some degree of western states. The "Microfiche of the Plant flowers maturity. M. deiavayi seldom Science Data Center, " American then until it is 12 or l4 feet high, and Horticultural Society (1979), and Mulligan' s puts out a few blossoms which fade "Woody Plants of the University ol' and fafl almost in a day. This is Washington Arboretum" (f977) are useful disappointing in a tree of such great m determining distribution in relation to beauty, but Mr. J.C. Williams, who is Wilson's forecasts of hardiness. Magnolia capable of estimating the qualities of driovari is hardy only in southern this species since he possesses fairly California, according to available records. large specimens, thinks highly of its flowering qualities, for although purview)lorn, Mognolios individual flowers may be evanescent, ond other plants yet when mature groups of flowers, following the first ones, as in the case Our Fall Catalog $).00 of Mngnoiios hvpoleuca and LOUISIANA NURSERY are seen in quantity, then the general Ri. 7, Box 43 effect is good and may advance the Opelousos, lo. 70570 garden quality of the species. We must. Phone (318) 948-3696 therefore, have a little patience and one