Magnolia x Alba, Michelia x Alba

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This is hybrid between Michelia Champaca and Magnolia Montana with sweet strong fragrance of flowers resembles juicyfruit gum. The fragrance is released in the early morning hours and lasts all day long, especially strong at night. Its name honors Florentine botanist Pietro Antonio Micheli. Michelia alba is now cultivated for ornamental purposes in most tropical and lower subtropical countries. This tallish, evergreen tree has creamy white blooms with 15-20 sepals, and petals which are deliciously fragrant. The flowers are highly prized by people and are often made into necklaces. Both the flowers and leaves are highly aromatic and can be used in fragrance production. The flowers from Michelia champaca are used to make the world's most expensive perfume'Joy'. People did not invent JOY perfume, Nature made this creation leading to the development of JOY, the most expensive perfume fragrance in the world. Michelia flowers produce in great quantities. On a warm humid night, the scents can easily be enjoyed several hundred feet away. If you drive near by, you will notice the scent immediately. People and every insect you can imagine are attracted to the blooms. These are flowers you don't have to "stick your nose in" as the scent exudes from the tree. However, you really can't STOP sticking your nose into a flower over and over again. Nectar insects appear frantic, driven like drug addicts, bashing into each other to get to the heart of every flower on the tree. The white Michelia flower is also the city flower of Shanghai, China. Planting a Michelia tree either indoors as bonsai or in your backyard really makes your home a sweet home. Also you could take the flower, home made natural perfume, into car, office, rest room, and anywhere you want fragrant atmosphere. One oriental custom is to use the white flowers as sweet scented decoration, such as hair-pin-flower for girls, and chest-pin-flower for ladies. The tree has flowers and green leaves all year round, beautifying its surroundings. Besides, the clearly veined leaf can be made into a special bookmark.

Michelia alba has good antimicrobial properties, especially the leaves. It also has an antioxidant character with moderate effect.

See Article about Tropical Magnolias.

See also Plants with scents as heady as incense: Enchanted Magnolias - Joy in your life...

Similar plants:

• Magnolia champaca, Michelia champaca (Joy Perfume Tree, Huang Yu Lan, Safa)
• Magnolia doltsopa, Michelia excelsa, Magnolia exelsa (Sweet Michelia)
• Magnolia figo, Michelia figo, Magnolia fuscata (Banana Magnolia, Banana Shrub, Port Wine Magnolia)
• Magnolia floribunda, Michelia floribunda, Magnolia compressa (Magnolia)
• Magnolia rajaniana, Michelia champaca Rajaniana (Champa Khao, Cream colored Champa, Magnolia Ivory, Champee Si Nuan, Peacock Magnolia)
• Magnolia 'Goldstar' (Goldstar Magnolia)
• Magnolia acuminata (Cucumber Tree, Cucumber Magnolia)
• Magnolia coco, Liriodendron coco, Magnolia pumila (Dwarf Magnolia, Cempaka Telur, Cempaka Gondok, Coconut Magnolia)
• Magnolia cylindrica (Huang-shan Magnolia )
• Magnolia delavayi (Chinese Evergreen Magnolia )