Magnolia champaca

Magnolia champaca, known in English as champak (), is a large evergreen tree in the family Magnoliaceae. It was previously classified as Michelia champaca. It is known for its fragrant flowers, and its timber used in woodworking.

Description

A tree. It is tall and evergreen. It is usually 10-12 m high but can be 30 m high. The trunk is straight. The bark is greenish-brown. The branches bend upwards to form a dense crown. The leaves are smooth and leathery. They are oval or sword shaped. They are slightly hairy on the lower surface. They are 15-25 cm long by 5-8 cm wide. The leaf stalk is grooved. The flowers are golden-yellow. They are 5-6 cm across. They have a sweet smell. The grow singly from the axils of leaves. The fruit occur in a cluster. They are woody and oval. They contain angular seeds with a brown or pink covering. There are 2-6 seeds in a follicle.

Edible Uses

The fruits and seeds are eaten. The flowers are also edible. The bark is sometimes used as a spice and has been recorded as an adulterant for cinnamon.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are recorded as eaten. The bark is sometimes used to adulterate cinnamon.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The fruit is used in medicine.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It is native to the Himalayas, India and China. It is common all over India. It grows in humid evergreen forest. It gets damaged by hot dry climates. It does best in rich, slightly acid soil. It cannot stand water-logging. It suits hardiness zones 10-11. Melbourne Botanical Gardens. Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens. In XTBG Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Africa, Andamans, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Central America, China, Dominican Republic, East Africa, FSM, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Philippines, Pohnpei, SE Asia, Sikkim, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, USA, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

It is easily grown from seed. Seed should be sown fresh. It can also be grown using stem cuttings.

Propagation

The seeds are oily and quickly lose their viability, so should be sown as soon as possible after harvesting It is best sown in a shady position then moved into more light when the seed has germinated. Germination takes from 5 weeks to 4 months. The germination rate of the seed is generally poor. The seedlings are pricked into containers when 2 to 4 cm tall and left to grow for 1 year in the nursery. They can be planted out when they are 30 to 40 cm in height. Seed storage behaviour is probably orthodox. Seed viability can be maintained by moist storage at 5°c for about 7 months or in pits at 13°c for about 4 months. Grafting. Cuttings. Extracts of girdled and etiolated shoots contained a higher level of root-promoting substances than shoots that were only girdled or fresh shoots. The best rooting (93.3 percent) and survival of rooted layers (92.1 percent) were obtained with pregirdled and etiolated layers treated with indole butyric acid at 5000 ppm.

Other Uses

The flowers yield an essential oil known as champa or champaca oil. It is used in perfumery. Another essential oil, known as Michelia leaf oil, is extracted from the leaves. The sweetly scented flowers are used in India for hair adornment. A yellow dye is obtained from the flowers. Analyses of seeds showed a low kernel content of around 20%. However, the oil content of each kernel is fairly high at 32.2%, which gives it potential for commercial exploitation for oil production for various uses. The leaf extract is toxic to the rice fungus, Pyricularia oryzae. The heartwood is olive-brown turning to dark brown with a greenish tinge upon exposure, it is clearly differentiated from the pale brown, up to 8 cm wide sapwood. The wood is soft, light and even-grained.. The heartwood is strong, durable, and capable of taking a high polish. The grain is straight or slightly interlocked, texture fine to moderately fine and even. Michelia wood is nicely figured and is used for furniture, cabinetwork, carvings, turnery and pattern making; it has also been used for cement-bonded wood-wool board. In India it has been recommended to ring girdle trees about 3 years before felling to prevent possible warping and checking of the wood. The tree is used as fuel wood, the gross energy value of the heartwood is about 21 070 kJ/kg. The tree is used to reforest badly eroded areas in Java. Soil under tree cover shows an increase in pH, soil organic carbon and available phosphorus.

Production

It is fast growing.

Notes

There are 47 Michelia species. They grow in tropical and subtropical Asia. It is grown as an ornamental because of the sweet flowers.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Aule champ, Bolnabat, Cempaka, Chambugan, Champa, Champaga, Champak, Champakamu, Champi, Champo, Chempa, Chempaka, Chompa, Chompoko, Jampa, Jampaka, Kanchana, Kantil, Kawenios, Kola-sampige, Kud-champa, Laran, Lecari, Lochari, Mawk-sam-lung, Mulana, Mulang, Ngoc lan, Ouliachamp, Pechari, Pito-champo, Pivala-champa, Pohon cempaka India, Pohon manglid baros, Sagawa, Sampige, Sapu, Shap, Shembuga, Sona-champa, Titasopa, Tsampaka, Wong lan

References (33)

• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 369 (As Michelia champaca)
• Barwick, M., 2004, Tropical and Subtropical Trees. A Worldwide Encyclopedic Guide. Thames and Hudson p 275 (As Michelia champaca)
• Bole, P.V., & Yaghani, Y., 1985, Field Guide to the Common Trees of India. OUP p 25 (As Michelia champaca)
• Bremness, L., 1994, Herbs. Collins Eyewitness Handbooks. Harper Collins. p 66 (As Michelia champaca)
• Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 2 (I-Z) p 1489 (As Michelia champaca)

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