Tree of the Week: May 6th, 2025
A customer of ours based in Hawaii was doing an inventory of a property with some amazing trees that we had not heard of before, so ArborNote’s Tree of the Week is the White Champaca (Magnolia × alba) or pak lan in Hawaiian! This is a hybrid, and although the exact origin is uncertain, it is considered to be a cross of Magnolia champaca and Magnolia montana. It is commonly cultivated as an ornamental tree in tropical regions like Hawaii and Southeast Asia. These trees are most famous for their amazing smelling flowers that bloom from mid-winter into spring. They are a favorite for essential oils and commonly used in traditional medicine for their anti-inflammatory properties. In Taiwan, the flowers are plucked from trees before they open and bunches of them are strung together on wire, to be sold at roadside to truck and taxi drivers. In Indonesia and Taiwan, the pleasantly fragrant flower is used and arranged together with Jasminum sambac as flower garland, especially worn by brides during traditional wedding ceremonies!
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