A small deciduous tree, to 20 m in height with pale grayish brown to blackish brown, exfoliating bark. Young twigs are pale yellowish brown. The dark green leaves are obovate, 10-18 cm long and 4.5-10 cm broad, with a 1-3 cm petiole. Fragrant flowers appear before leaves, erect, cup-shaped, 15 cm wide, with 12-14 tepals that are white to rosy-red. The fruit is a cylindric aggregate of follicles 6-18 cm long.
The dried flower buds are used in treating sinusitis and headache, accompanied with obstruction of the nose, purulent nasal discharge, loss of smelling, chronic rhinitis, allergic, rhinitis, and maxillary sinusitis.
Reference
Jing-Nuan Wu. An Illustrated Chinese Materia Medica. P: 414, Oxford University Press, Inc.2005.
Health Remedies 
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