How to distinguish the leaves of huangjuelan (Magnolia champaca) and bailanhua (Magnolia alba)?

Huangjuelan and bailanhua are very similar, with subtle differences in their leaves. The former has lanceolate-ovate or lanceolate-oblong leaves, 10-20cm long and 4.5-9cm wide; the latter has broadly obovate to obovate leaves, about 10-18cm long and around 6-12cm wide. Besides the subtle differences in leaves, there are also some differences in flower color, flowering period, and tree shape.

I. Leaf differences

1. Shape difference: The leaf shapes differ slightly. Huangjuelan leaves are lanceolate-ovate or lanceolate-oblong, with a slightly elongated and nearly pointed tip. Bailanhua leaves are rounder, broadly obovate to obovate in shape, with a rounded and broad tip.

2. Size difference: The former's leaves are longer but tend to be narrow, about 10-20cm long and about 4.5-9cm wide. The latter's leaves are 10-18cm long and about 6-12cm wide.

II. Other differences

1. Flower color: This is the most obvious difference. The former's flowers tend toward pale yellow, while the latter's flowers are pure white.

2. Flowering period: Not only do the flowers open differently, but the flowering times also differ. The former blooms from June to October, and each flower lasts only one day or a day and a half. Bailanhua blooms earlier, from April to September in summer.

3. Tree shape: The huangjuelan tree is taller than the bailanhua tree. The former is about 20 m tall, while the latter is about 17 m tall. The crowns also differ: the former has a narrow umbrella-shaped crown, while the latter has a broad umbrella-shaped crown, so they can also be distinguished by appearance.