As is so often the case, what was expected to be a leisurely pursuit of magnolia study in the tranquil atmosphere of the Australian Bicentennial Arboretum, turned out to be an exciting adventure into the wilderness of China’s remote and elusive Wa Shan, a mountain shrouded in mist and mystery. This is such a tale when CHRIS CALLAGHAN and SK PNG went searching for Wilson’s controversial Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta in a quest to shed further light on its botanical status and ended up rediscovering a mountain potentially richer in flora than Emei Shan!