モクレンは花が赤紫色で、上向きに咲き、ほとんど開きません。花弁は６枚で内側が白色。花は他のモクレン属と同じように芳香があります。
Purple magnolia is purplish red, bloom upwards and rarely open. There are 6 petals and the inside is white. The flowers are as fragrant as any other genus Magnolia.
【仮名】モクレン, シモクレン
【和名】木蓮, 紫木蓮
【英名】Purple Magnolia, Magnolia
【学名】Magnolia liliiflora
【誕生】02/ 19, 03/ 22, 05/ 07
【開花】03, 04月
【花色】Purple
モクレン
モクレンの生態
モクレンはモクレン科の落葉低木です。原産地は中国南部で、林縁に自生。古代中国では宮廷の庭園に植えられました。日本へは古くに薬用で伝来し、観賞用で拡大。欧米では当初、「日本の木蓮」と紹介されたため、原産地が誤解されたようです。花言葉は「自然への愛」「恩恵」。
モクレンの形態
モクレンは花が赤紫色で、上向きに咲き、ほとんど開きません。花弁は６枚で内側が白色。他のモクレン属と同じように芳香があります。葉は花が咲いてから展開。花後は袋果が生じ、裂開すると中から赤い種子が出てきます。樹皮は灰白色。冬に小さな葉芽、大きな花芽が着きます。
モクレンの近縁
「辛夷」は白い花色を除けば花も葉も木もよく似ています。違いは少しだけ咲く時期が早く、花弁も開くこと。花の下に葉が１枚つきます。「白木蓮」は名前が似ているものの花が大きく、花弁が厚く多く、かなり高木。「泰山木」や「大山蓮華」もモクレン属ですが、開花は夏です。
モクレンの薬用
モクレンは生薬。漢方では乾燥させた蕾「辛夷」が鼻炎、頭痛、熱、咳などに用いられます。主成分はモノテルペンの α-ピネンやシネオール、フェニルプロパノイドのオイゲノール。ただし、日本では辛夷をコブシと読み、生薬の辛夷で用いられるのも田虫葉、辛夷、白木蓮だけです。
Purple Magnolia
Purple magnolia ecology
Purple magnolia is a deciduous shrub of the Magnolia family. The place of origin is southern China, and it grows naturally on the forest edge. It was planted in court gardens in ancient China. It was introduced to Japan for medicinal purposes in ancient times and expanded for ornamental purposes. In Europe and the United States, it was initially introduced as “Japanese magnolia”, so it seems that the place of origin was misunderstood. The flower language is “love for nature” and “benefit”.
Purple magnolia morphology
Purple magnolia is purplish red, bloom upwards and rarely open. There are 6 petals and the inside is white. It has the same fragrance as other magnolias. The leaves develop after the flowers bloom. After flowering, follicle grows, and when dehiscence occurs, red seeds emerge from the inside. The bark is grayish white. Small leaf buds and large flower buds arrive in winter.
Close relatives of Purple magnolia
“Magnolia kobus” is very similar in flowers, leaves and trees except for the white flower color. The difference is that it blooms a little earlier and the petals open. There is one leaf under the flower. “Yulan magnolia” has a similar name but has large flowers, thick petals, and is quite tall. “Magnolia magnolia” and “Magnolia sieboldii” also belong to the genus Magnolia, but they bloom in summer.
Purple magnolia medicated
Purple magnolia is a crude drug. In Chinese medicine, dried buds “Shini” are used for rhinitis, headache, fever, cough, etc. The main ingredients are α-pinene and cineole, which are monoterpenes, and eugenol, which is a phenylpropanoid. However, in Japan, Shini is read as magnolia kobus, and only magnolia kobus and magnolia magnolia are used in herbal medicine.
