Manglietia szechuanica is the object of Chinese poets' affections.

It is an evergreen plant belonging to the genus Manglietia, with a magnificent tree appearance and luxuriant foliage. Its flowers are large and beautiful, with the shape of lotus flowers and some pleasant fragrance. The flowering period starts from April to May, while the fruiting period occurs  between August and September. Manglietia szechuanica mainly grows in the forests of south and central Sichuan.

As one of the ancient angiosperms, Manglietia szechuanica has always been cultivated as a popular ornamental plant because of its gorgeous appearance. Countless historical poets and writers were fond of Manglietia szechuanica--Bai Juyi from the Tang Dynasty is one of the typical representatives.

Manglietia szechuanica could not be transplanted into people’s backyards and gardens in ancient times. Yet, now things have changed, and techniques such as selective breeding and cultivation have become well-developed, including isolated planting, linear planting, group planting, or companion planting that mimicks nature on a small scale in the garden. In addition, Manglietia szechuanica’s fruit, tree bark, or root bark can be used as traditional Chinese medicines to soothe coughing and have laxative effects. Hence, this gives full play to its ornamental values and medicinal uses.