Description
Liriodendron chinense (Hemsl.) Sargent. (scientific name: Liriodendron chinense (Hemsl.) Sargent.) is a plant of the genus Liriodendron in the Magnoliaceae. Trees, up to 40 meters high, 1 meter in diameter at breast height, twigs gray or taupe. The leaves are mandrel-shaped, 4-12 (18) cm long, with 1 lateral lobe on each side near the base, 2 lobed apex, pale underside, and petiole 4-8 (-16) cm long. The flower is cup-shaped, with 9 tepals, 3 green outer wheels, sepal-shaped, bent outward, 6 inner two wheels, upright, petal-like, obovate, 3-4 cm long, green, with yellow longitudinal stripes. The aggregate fruit is 7-9 cm long, and the winged nutlets are about 6 mm long, with a blunt or blunt tip, with 1-2 seeds. Flowering in May, fruiting period from September to October.
Distributed in China and northern Vietnam; in China distributed in Shaanxi and south of Anhui, west to Sichuan and Yunnan, south to Nanling Mountains, and cultivated in Taiwan. It grows in mountain forests at an altitude of 900-1 000 meters.
The wood is light reddish brown, straight grain, fine structure, light and soft, easy to process, less deformation, less cracking after drying, and no insects. It is an excellent material for construction, shipbuilding, furniture, and joinery. It can also be used to make plywood; leaves and bark are used as medicine. The trunk is straight, the canopy is umbrella-shaped, and the leaf shape is peculiar and quaint. It is a precious tree species in the world.
