Michelia doltsopa
In the depths of winter the velvety brown buds of the Michelia open to reveal an amazing display of large, heavily-scented, creamy-white blooms. To some the fragrance is exquisite, to others it is almost overpoweringly sickly. An evergreen tree, the Michelia can grow to 20 or 30 metres in height, although garden centres have smaller varieties such as ‘Silver Cloud’, which reach to only half this height. It is very popular as an ornamental feature in parks and gardens, is sometimes used as a street tree, and can even be pruned as a hedge.
Michelia doltsopa is a native of the Eastern Himalayan region and of the Meghalayan subtropical forests of North Eastern India. It is a member of the magnolia genus, and as such is also related to the liriodendron (tulip tree) of the Eastern USA, which is the giant of the genus, growing to 60 metres or more. The wood of the Michelia is a rich brown colour, and like the flowers is very fragrant. In Nepal and Bhutan it is used in house-building, where in recent decades it has sometimes suffered from over-harvesting
This tree is is Cambridge Road.
