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Mulan magnolia Magnolia liliiflora, also known as Tulip magnolia or Lily magnolia, is a small tree native to southwest China (Sichuan, Yunnan), but cultivated for centuries elsewhere in China and also Japan. It was first introduced to English-speaking countries from cultivated Japanese origins, and is thus also sometimes called "Japanese magnolia", though it is not native to Japan. It is now also planted as an ornamental in North America and Europe, though rather less often than its hybrid (see below).
It is a deciduous shrub, exceptionally a small tree, to 4m tall (smaller than most other magnolias), and blooms profusely in early spring with large pink to purple showy flowers, before the leaf buds open.
It is the male parent of the very popular hybrid Saucer magnolia, M. x soulangeana, the other parent being the Yulan magnolia M. denudata.
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