Magnolia kobus (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Magnolia kobus A. DC.

Family: Magnoliaceae

Synonyms

Magnolia thurberi hort.

Vernacular names

• Kobus magnolia (En).

Distribution

Japan and southern Korea. In cultivation it can be found as an ornamental all over the world.

Uses

Besides its ornamental value M. kobus can be used to distil a volatile oil called kabushi oil from the leaves and twigs. The oil contains cineole, citral, anethol and probably methyl chavicol.

Observations

• Arborescent, deciduous shrub or small tree of dense twiggy growth, up to about 10 m tall.
• Leaves alternate; leaf buds pubescent; blade obovate, 10-18 cm × 5-11.5 cm, often puckered or rugulose.
• Flowers 10-12 cm in diameter, white with some pinkish flush, appearing before the leaves, with 3 small, caducous sepals and 6-9 spatulate petals; stamens numerous; pistils many, imbricated on an elongated receptacle.
• Fruit a follicle, aggregated into a cone like dark brown body about 10 cm long.

A much larger form from northern Japan (tree up to 25 m tall with larger leaves and flowers) has been named var. borealis C.S. Sargent. Several cultivars and hybrids of M. kobus exist and all are very frost hardy. Propagation is possible by seed and by cuttings. M. grandifolia L., being indigenous to south-eastern United States, but cultivated worldwide, is another possible source of flower perfume.

Selected sources

• Arctander, S., 1960. Perfume and flavor materials of natural origin. Published by the author, Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States. 736 pp.
• Burkill, I.H., 1935. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. 2 volumes. Crown Agents for the Colonies, London, United Kingdom. 2402 pp. (slightly revised reprint, 1966. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2444 pp.).
• Groom, N., 1997. The new perfume handbook. 2nd edition. Blackie Academic & Professional, London, United Kingdom. 435 pp.
• Guenther, 1949-1952. The essential oils. 6 Vols. D. van Nostrand Co., New York, United States.
• Treseder, N.G., 1978. Magnolias. Faber & Faber, London, United Kingdom. 243 pp.

Authors

P.C.M. Jansen