Botany Digest: MAGNOLIACEAE – MICHELIA CHAMPACA DESCRIPTION

 MICHELIA CHAMPACA L.

Systematic Position:

 Division: Phanerogams

    Sub-div.:
Angiosperms

        Class:
Dicotyledons

            
Sub-class: Polypetalae

                  
Series: Thalamiflorae

                       Order: Ranales

                             Family: Magnoliacee

                                  Genus: Michelia

                                        Species: champaca

Description:

Habit:
A small evergreen tree.

Root:
Branched, tap root.

Stem:
Aerial, erect, solid, cylindrical, glabrous, branched, woody.

Leaf:
Simple, alternate; stipulate, stipule convolute; petiolate, ovate, entire,
acute, unicostate reticulate.

Inflorescence:
Solitary axillary.

Flower:
Bracteate, pedicellate, complete, hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, hypogynous,
fragrant, pale yellow.

Perianth:
Usually 9 perianth leaves arranged in three whorls of three each; either outer
3 leaves are sepalloid and inner 6 lobes are petalloid, or all the 9 perianth lobes
are petalloid.

Androecium:
Stamens numerous, free, spirally arranged on a conically elongate receptacle,
filaments short, basifixed, dithecous, extrorse.

Gynoecium:
Multicarpellary, apocarpous, carpels arranged spirally over the conical
receptacle, superior, unilocular, many ovules, marginal placentation; style
curved, stigma beaked.

Fruit:
Etaerio of follicles.

Floral Formula:

Michelia champaca L. Flowering Twig