Magnolia rabaniana

Magnolia rabaniana (Hook.f. & Thomson) D.C.S.Raju & M.P.Nayar, Indian J. Bot. 3: 171 1980.  (syn: Talauma rabaniana Hook.f. & Thomson);

Sikkim to Myanmar as per WCSP;

Trees with a conical crown, about 50-70 ft tall, girth of about 4-6 ft. Bark dark gray, rough fibrous and uniformly light brown inside and 1.2-2 cm thick, branchlets tawny tomentose when young, glabrous when mature, nodes annulate. Leaves simple, alternate, oblanceolate-elliptic, lanceolate-oblong, 20-35 × 7-15 cm across, base cuneate or attentuate, margin entire, apex acute or shallow acuminate, coriaceous, dark green shining, glabrous above, paler beneath, lateral veins 12-24 on either side of the midrib, almost parallel, straight, impressed above, more prominent on midrib and prominent of veins beneath, reticulate veinlets, close and fine, petiole stout, about 2-3 cm long. Flowers bisexual, solitary, appearing with the leaves, white, odorous, about 5-7.5 cm across, pedicels about 1 cm thick, 2.5-3 cm long, bracts densely adpressed tomentose. Perianth parts about 12, Sepals 3, sub-orbicular, rough outside, caducous, Petals 9, in three whorls, broadly elliptic or obovate, concave, outer whorl reflexed after the fall of the sepals. Stamens numerous, filaments very short, anthers oblong, about 12-15 mm long, Gynoecium sessile, ellipsoid, Fruiting receptacle 6-12 x 3-4 cm across, Carpels about 20, compressed, rounded near the base, woody, dehiscent by the ventral suture, pits of the axis somewhat shallow, rhomboidal, elongated.
Evergreen forests altitude up to 4,000 ft.
Local Distribution: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram. Global Distribution: Asia: India
Local Endemicity: Northeast India. Global Endemicity: India.
Attributions- Ganeshaiah, K. N., UAS, Bangalore, India. Kailash, B. R., UAS & ATREE, Bangalore, India. Indian Bioresource Information Network (IBIN), Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi, India. from India Biodiversity Portal)

               

Magnolia rabaniana is endemic to northeast India where it occurs in Assam, Sikkim and Meghalaya and possibly extends south into Myanmar. Specimens have been collected in the Khasi Hills between 4,000 and 5,000 feet but its elevation is recorded between 1,300 and 2,400 m asl (Kundu 2009).
The forests of the Assam region have declined substantially in the area for shifting agriculture.
A tree found in montane sub-tropical semi-evergreen forests, temperate evergreen broad-leaved forests and temperate or sub-alpine coniferous forests.

Citation: Khela, S. 2014. Magnolia rabaniana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T15116599A15116611. . Downloaded on 09 May 2017.

Rediscovery of Magnolia rabaniana (Magnoliaceae): A threatened tree : 1 post by 1 author. Attachments (1) – Magnolia rabaniana.pdf
Another good paper was published in the same issue of the journal which is attached forthwith.



References:

Catalogue of Life  The Plant List Ver.1.1  WCSP  IPNI
 GBIF (with type specimen) BSI Flora of India  India Biodiversity Portal  IUCN Red List (DD) Rediscovery of Magnolia rabaniana (Magnoliaceae): A threatened tree species of Meghalaya, northeast India (Abstract- Magnolia rabaniana (Hook.f. & Th.) D.C.S. Raju & M.P. Nayar, a threatened and endemic tree species of northeast India, has been rediscovered after a lapse of almost 100 years from Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. A total of 65 individuals that includes 38 mature (≥ 5 cm diameter at breast height) and 27 young individuals (≤ 5 cm diameter at breast height) were recorded from five sites. The existing populations of the species are under severe threats due to a number of human disturbances and therefore warrant immediate conservation initiatives.)