News published 04 June 2025

First time ever flowering of a planted, ten-year old specimen of Magnolia omeiensis – a scientific breakthrough in the recovery of this threatened tree species endemic to China

About Magnolia omeiensis

Magnolia omeiensis is a tree species endemic to Mount Emei, Sichuan province, southwest China. A highly attractive, ornamental species with fragrant flowers, individual plants can either develop bisexual or male flowers. A total of 74 individuals were located in two populations on the steep slopes of Mount Emei in 2015. The species is a Grade-I Key-Protected Wild Plant Species and Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations in China, and is recorded as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species since 2007, the Chinese Higher Plants Red List since 2013, and the Red List of Magnoliaceae since 2016. Among others, major threat factors relate to the species reproductive biology, lack of effective pollination through insects resulting in low seed sets, low germination rates, and habitat destruction..

International partnership to improve the conservation status of Magnolia omeiensis

From 2016 to 2020, Emeishan Botanical Garden, Sichuan Provincial Institute of Natural Resource Sciences, in close collaboration with Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and the financial support from Fondation Franklinia, ventured a series of activities to enhance the conservation status Magnolia omeiensis. Over the five years, the project focused on enhancing knowledge of the biology and ecology of the species in the wild through field surveys, collecting seeds and vegetative propagules for ex situ germination and cultivation. Some 3,200 seedlings and saplings using propagation techniques via seeds and grafting were generated. Ex situ collections were established at 15 botanic gardens in China each with some 390 individuals with an overall survival rate of 85% at present, whilst some 900 saplings were planted in situ with a survival rate currently at 93%. These efforts were accompanied by a series of awareness raising campaigns and conservation techniques training to further enhance the conservation of this iconic species.

Magnolia omeiensis flowering

Between 2016 and 2023, 900 seedlings were planted in the wild with regularly monitored, with 829 individuals surviving to date. Among the 160 three-year old seedlings planted in 2018, one individual started blooming in May 2025, though on average it takes 20 years for a specimen of M. omeiensis to flower. For a ten-year old individual of M. omeiensis to start flowering at such a young age is remarkable, marking an encouraging breakthrough for the forward planning of the species’ medium- and long-term recovery action.

What happens next?

Building on this international conservation partnership with BGCI, local governments including Sichuan Science and Technology Department and Sichuan Forestry and Grassland Department continue to fund the conservation efforts for this species, especially pertaining to further field surveys, management and monitoring of individuals planted in the ex situ collections and species recovery sites in the wild to ensure the sustainability of the project. As part of the ongoing support, a further 16 trees have been discovered in the two populations, totaling now 90 trees known in the wild so far.

Funding permitted, the next phase of the conservation efforts will focus on the further study of the habitat where seedlings were planted, including analysis of the soil characteristics, foliar nutrient status, and the microclimate of the area. Simultaneously, comparative studies will be undertaken also with other planting sites, striving to uncover the mystery of the precocious flowering of this M. omeiensis individual as soon as possible.