Deciduous tree, to 20 m tall, with rough, gray-brown bark. Twigs dark-brown, pubescent at first, glabrous with age. Terminal buds covered with tomentum. Leaves obovate, elliptic, or broadly elliptic, 7-15 cm long, 5-10 cm wide, dark-green, glabrous above, light-green, pubescent beneath, almost glabrous at maturity, abruptly acuminate at apex, cuneate or obtuse at the base; petiole 2.5 cm long, tomentose, glabrous at age. Flowers appearing before leaves, erect, white, fragrant, vase-shaped; petals 9 (10-12), white tinged with pink or purple at the base or midrib, obovate, 5-10 cm long, 2-5 cm wide; stamens rose-purple, 0.5 cm long. Fruit aggregated to form follicetum, reddish brown, cylindrical, 5-15 cm long; outer seed coats red.

Carminative and diaphoretic (flower buds and the seeds); antifungal, astringent, cytotoxic, hypotensive and a uterine stimulant (flower buds); anodyne and sedative (plant)

Plants For A Future
WHO/WPRO-Medicinal plants in the Republic of Korea
Herbasin Chinese herb database - Flos Magnoliae (Xin Yi)

1,8-cineole, alpha-humulene, alpha-pinene, alpha-terpinene, alpha-terpineol, beta-elemene, beta-eudesmol, bornyl acetate, camphene, caryophyllene oxide (bark); beta-selinene (bulb); cyanidin, kaempferol, quercetin (plant); gamma-terpinene (bark and leaves); delta-cadinene, elemol, germacrene D, geranyl acetate, limonene, myrcene, neryl acetate, p-cymene, sabinene (bark, bulb, flower, leaf and twig); methyl chavicol, rutin (flower)

The dried flower buds are used in the treatment of sinusitis and headache, accompanied with obstruction of the nose, purulent nasal discharge, loss of smelling, chronic rhinitis, allergic, rhinitis, rhinorrhea, and maxillary sinusitis

Jing-Nuan Wu. An Illustrated Chinese Materia Medica. P: 414, Oxford University Press, Inc.2005.