Magnolia section Maingola Dandy, distributed in tropical Southeast Asia from India (Assam) to Malay Archipelago extending Borneo, is distinguished from other taxa in Magnoliaceae by the combination of terminal brachyblast, cylindrical fruit, and free stipule. Morphological characters were re-examined for section Maingola and section Alcimandra which has been considered to be closely related to the former. Although section Alcimandra is distinguished from section Maingola in having long stamen to hide gynoecium, section Alcimandra was combined with section Maingola because this feature is frequently found in the various taxa of the family. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies have also demonstrated the close affinity between sections Maingola and Alcimandra. For the Magnolia macklottii complex which has been problematic due to the wide range of variation in taxonomically important characters, principal component analysis was carried out with the matrix of 52 OTUs X 28 characters. Two varieties, M. macklottii var. macklottii and M. macklottii var. beccariana, were recognized in the complex mainly by the presence/absence of hairs in fruits. Leaf shape and hairs in twig appeared to be variable. In result, seven species with five varieties were recognized within subsection Maingola.

Key words: Magnolia macklottii complex, Magnolia section Maingola, Magnoliaceae, taxonomic revision