✵The article records the herb Biond Magnolia Flower—its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, and botanical sources: three plant species—(1) Magnolia biondii Pamp., (2) Magnolia denudata Desr., and (3) Magnolia sprengeri Pamp.—with a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of these three plants; the characteristics of the herb Biond Magnolia Flower; its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Flos Magnoliae (Biond Magnolia Flower)
Pinyin Name: Xīn Yí
English Name: Lily Magnolia or Biond Magnolia Flower
Latin Name: Flos Magnoliae
Properties and Flavor: Warm, pungent
Brief Introduction:Flos Magnoliae is the dried flower bud of Magnolia biondii Pamp., Magnolia denudata Desr., or Magnolia sprengeri Pamp., used to treat nasal congestion and rhinorrhea in rhinitis and sinusitis. It is commonly known as Flos Magnoliae, Biond Magnolia Flower, or Xīn Yí.
Botanical Source:Flos Magnoliae (Biond Magnolia Flower) is the dried flower bud of Magnolia biondii Pamp., Magnolia denudata Desr., or Magnolia sprengeri Pamp.—plants belonging to the genus Magnolia L., family Magnoliaceae (magnolia family), order Magnoliales Juss.
Herbal classic books define Flos Magnoliae (Biond Magnolia Flower or Xīn Yí) as the dried flower bud of: (1) Magnolia biondii Pamp., (2) Magnolia denudata Desr., or (3) Magnolia sprengeri Pamp. These three commonly used species are described below:
(1) Magnolia biondii Pamp.
Botanical Description: Magnolia biondii Pamp. is also known as Magnolia fargesii (Finet et Gagnep.) Cheng or Wang Chun Yu Lan. It is a deciduous tree reaching 6–12 meters in height. Branchlets are yellow-green or light brown, smooth or sparsely pilose near the tips; winter buds are ovoid (egg-shaped), with bracts densely covered in pale yellow fuzz. Leaves are alternate and simple; petioles measure 1–2 cm long and bear stipule scars at the base; leaf blades are oblong-lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 10–18 cm long and 3.5–6.5 cm wide, with an acuminate apex and a rounded or cuneate base; margins are entire; the upper surface is dark green and glabrous; the lower surface is pale green and sparsely piliferous along the veins.
Flowers bloom before leaf emergence, solitary at branch apices or occasionally axillary, campanulate, 6–8 cm in diameter, white with purplish-red bases on the outer surface, and fragrant. The perianth consists of three whorls: the outermost whorl comprises three tepals, sepaloid (calyx-like) or narrowly linear, and approximately one-quarter the length of the petals; the middle and inner whorls each contain three spatulate (spoon-shaped) tepals, 4–8 cm long and ~2.5 cm wide. Stamens are numerous and spirally arranged on the lower portion of the elongated receptacle; pistils are numerous and arranged on the upper portion of the receptacle.
Aggregate fruits are cylindrical and slightly twisted, 8–13 cm long; follicles are ligneous (woody). Seeds are obovate. Flowering occurs from February to March; fruiting occurs in September.
Ecological Environment: This species grows in forests on mountain slopes at altitudes of 400–2,400 meters above sea level.
Growth Characteristics: The plant prefers a warm, moist climate and full sunlight; it is cold- and drought-tolerant but intolerant of waterlogging. Seedlings are sensitive to strong light and drought. For cultivation, a sunny site with fertile, slightly acidic sandy loam soil is recommended.
Characteristics of the Herb: The dried flower bud is ovate-oblong—resembling a writing brush tip—1.2–2.5 cm long and 0.8–1.5 cm in diameter. The base often bears a short, woody stalk (~5 mm long) bearing whitish, punctate lenticels. Bracts occur in 2–3 layers, each layer bilobed; small scaly buds are present between bract layers. The outer surface of the bracts is densely covered with gray-white or gray-green pubescence; the inner surface is brown and glabrous. There are nine tepals (perianth lobes) arranged in three whorls: brown in color; the outer whorl consists of narrow, sepaloid tepals approximately one-quarter the length of those in the two inner whorls. Stamens are numerous and inserted spirally on the lower part of the receptacle; filaments are flattened and anthers are linear; pistils are numerous and inserted spirally on the upper part of the receptacle. The herb is light and brittle. It has a sweet fragrance and tastes pungent, cool, and slightly bitter.
Pharmacological Actions: (1) Antihypertensive effect; (2) Effects on the uterus; (3) Other effects: inhibitory activity against various pathogenic fungi; vasoconstrictive effect on nasal mucosal blood vessels; promotion of secretion absorption.
Medicinal Efficacy: Indicated for headache, sinusitis, and other conditions; exerts antihypertensive effects.
Administration of Flos Magnoliae (Xīn Yí)
Reference:
Administration Guide for Flos Magnoliae (Xīn Yí)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 3–9 grams; externally: appropriate amount. (2) Water decoction: 1–3 qián (≈3–9 grams); also prepared as pills or powder. Externally:grind into fine powder and insufflate into the nose, or infuse in water, distill, and administer as nasal drops. (3) Water decoction: 3–10 grams—either decocted separately (wrapped in cloth during boiling) or prepared as pills or powder. Externally: appropriate amount—grind into fine powder for nasal insufflation, or use the distilled liquid as nasal drops.
(2) Magnolia denudata Desr.
Botanical Description: Magnolia denudata Desr. is also known as Magnolia heptapeta (Buchoz) Dandy, Magnolia obovata Thunb. var. denudata (Desr.) DC., or ‘Yu Lan’. Differences from Magnolia biondii Pamp. include: branchlets are thicker and pubescent; leaf blades are typically obovate or broadly obovate, with a broadly rounded, truncate, or slightly concave apex—often mucronate—and a cuneate base; petioles and the leaf undersurface are covered with white, fine pubescence. The perianth comprises nine tepals, white—sometimes reddish at the outer base—and obovate-oblong in shape. Flowering occurs from February to March; fruiting occurs from August to September.
Ecological Environment: This species grows in mixed forests of evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved trees at elevations below 1,200 meters above sea level; it is also widely cultivated in gardens and courtyards.
Characteristics of the Herb: Flower buds measure 1.5–3 cm in length and 1–1.5 cm in diameter; basal stalks are thick, bearing light brown lenticels. The outer surface of the bracts is densely covered with gray-white or gray-green fuzz. There are nine tepals (perianth lobes), with no marked distinction between inner and outer whorls.
(3) Magnolia sprengeri Pamp.
Botanical Description: The plant Magnolia sprengeri Pamp is also known as Magnolia denudata Rehd. et Wils.var.purpurascens (Maxim.) Rehd.et Wils, Magnolia denudata Rehd. et Wils.var.elongata Rehd.et Wils, 'Wu Dang Yu Lan', or 'Hu Bei Mu Lan'. It differs from the two preceding species in having an acuminately pointed, tapering, or protuberant mucronate apex on the leaf. The perianth comprises 12–14 tepals; the outer surface is rose-red, lighter internally, and marked with deep purple longitudinal veins. Flowering occurs in March; fruiting occurs from June to July.
Ecological Environment: This species grows in mixed forests of evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved trees at elevations of 1,300–2,000 meters above sea level.
Characteristics of the Herb: Flower buds measure 3–4 cm in length and 1–2 cm in diameter; stalks are thick and robust, bearing reddish-brown lenticels. The outer surface of the bracts is densely covered with yellowish (light yellow) or yellowish-green (light yellow–green) pubescence; some outer bracts may have abscised and turned dark brown. Tepal count ranges from 10 to 15, with no significant differentiation between inner and outer whorls.
✵The article records the herb Biond Magnolia Flower—its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, and botanical sources: three plant species—(1) Magnolia biondii Pamp., (2) Magnolia denudata Desr., and (3) Magnolia sprengeri Pamp.—with a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of these three plants; the characteristics of the herb Biond Magnolia Flower; its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Xīn Yí
Botanical Description: Magnolia biondii Pamp. is also known as Magnolia fargesii (Finet et Gagnep.) Cheng or Wang Chun Yu Lan. It is a deciduous tree reaching 6–12 meters in height. Branchlets are yellow-green or light brown, smooth or sparsely pilose near the tips; winter buds are ovoid (egg-shaped), with bracts densely covered in pale yellow fuzz. Leaves are alternate and simple; petioles measure 1–2 cm long and bear stipule scars at the base; leaf blades are oblong-lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 10–18 cm long and 3.5–6.5 cm wide, with an acuminate apex and a rounded or cuneate base; margins are entire; the upper surface is dark green and glabrous; the lower surface is pale green and sparsely piliferous along the veins.
Ecological Environment: This species grows in forests on mountain slopes at altitudes of 400–2,400 meters above sea level.
Botanical Description: Magnolia denudata Desr. is also known as Magnolia heptapeta (Buchoz) Dandy, Magnolia obovata Thunb. var. denudata (Desr.) DC., or ‘Yu Lan’. Differences from Magnolia biondii Pamp. include: branchlets are thicker and pubescent; leaf blades are typically obovate or broadly obovate, with a broadly rounded, truncate, or slightly concave apex—often mucronate—and a cuneate base; petioles and the leaf undersurface are covered with white, fine pubescence. The perianth comprises nine tepals, white—sometimes reddish at the outer base—and obovate-oblong in shape. Flowering occurs from February to March; fruiting occurs from August to September.
Ecological Environment: This species grows in mixed forests of evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved trees at elevations below 1,200 meters above sea level; it is also widely cultivated in gardens and courtyards.
Botanical Description: The plant Magnolia sprengeri Pamp is also known as Magnolia denudata Rehd. et Wils.var.purpurascens (Maxim.) Rehd.et Wils, Magnolia denudata Rehd. et Wils.var.elongata Rehd.et Wils, 'Wu Dang Yu Lan', or 'Hu Bei Mu Lan'. It differs from the two preceding species in having an acuminately pointed, tapering, or protuberant mucronate apex on the leaf. The perianth comprises 12–14 tepals; the outer surface is rose-red, lighter internally, and marked with deep purple longitudinal veins. Flowering occurs in March; fruiting occurs from June to July.
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