GENERAL -HONG KONG TREES
Rugby Football. A successful and encouraging season closed last year with a victory for the Army fifteen in the Pentangular Tournament. The Royal Navy side remain un- beaten, and has every chance of beating the Army this year.
The seven-a-side tournament has again proved popular, thirty four teams competing for the championship.
Motoring. The Hong Kong Automoble Association organ- ized an annual rally again and repeated the success achieved in 1952.
The Motor Sports Club organized a variety of events These included a designed to suit all types of motorists. reliability run, a treasure hunt, a concours d'élégance, and a series of hill climbs; the latter have proved most popular.
Hong Kong Trees
Ivy Tree (Schefflera octophylla)
A very common native tree with dense foliage and a smooth brown bark. It is a small tree which is widely distri- buted in the southern part of China. The leaves are large, palmately divided into eight leaflets and smell strongly of ivy when crushed. The flowers which are white, are borne in large clusters and open in November, often attracting large numbers of butterflies, bees and flies. The fruits are small berries, dark purple in colour and contain 6 to 8 seeds. The sticky sap that exudes from the bark of the tree is sometimes used by Chinese women to dress their hair. The wood is grayish white, soft and light and is used in the match industry.
Brisbane Box (Tristania conferta)
This tall handsome Australian tree with dense foliage and rounded crown is commonly planted as a roadside tree or used for reforesting in this Colony. Its smooth, shiny leaves are
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