Magnolia champaca

Magnolia champaca

Know our Plant

Systematic Classification:

Division   : Angiospermae 
Class      : Dicotyledons
Order      : Fabales
Family     : Fabaceae
Genus      : Magnolia
Species    : champaca

Common Name:

Champak, Joy perfume tree, Yellow jade orchid tree

General Information:

Champa is very well known flower native to India, and popular for its fragrant flowers. It is a tree up to 50 m or taller, up to 1.9 m d.b.h. Flowers are fragrant, tepals 15-20, yellow, inverted-lanceshaped, 2-4 x 0.4-0.5 cm. Staminal connective is protruding and forming a long tip. Buds, young twigs, young petioles, and young leaf blades are pale yellow velvet-hairy. Twigs are ascending and forming a narrow umbelliform crown. Stipular scar 0.3-1 x as long as petiole. Leaf-stalks are 2-4 cm, leaves elliptic or ovate, 10-20 x 4.5-10 cm, slightly puberulous below, base broadly wedge-shaped or rounded, tip long-pointed tp falling off. Fruit is 7-15 cm; mature carpels obovoid-ellipsoid, 1-1.5 cm, tuberculate. Seeds 2-4 per carpel, rugose. Champa is found in the Himalayas, up to NE India, South India and SE Asia, at altitudes of 600-1300 m. Flowering: June-July.

Economic Importance:

  • The flowers are used in Southeast Asia for several purposes. Especially in India, they are primarily used for worship at temples, whether at home or out, and more generally worn in hair by girls and women as a means of beauty ornament as well as a natural perfume.
  • Flowers are floated in bowls of water to scent the room, as a fragrant decoration for bridal beds, and for garlands.
  • The tree was traditionally used to make fragrant hair and massage oils.
  • It has a finely textured, dark brown and olive-colored wood, which is used in furniture making, construction, and cabinetry.