The Flowering Shrubs and Trees of Hong Kong
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opposite or rarely alternate, entire, almost always dotted. Flowers axillary or more rarely terminal."
DISTRIBUTION.—, A large Family widely spread over South America, tropical and subtropical Africa and Asia, and especially Australia, with a few South African, North American, and one European species.
Bentham loc. cit. p. 117.
HONG KONG GENERA.-Bæckea, Psidium, Rhodomyrtus, and Eugenia (with 9 species not all native).
Punica
INTRODUCED SPECIES.-Psidium guyava, the Guava, of American origin, has long been naturalized in Hong Kong and the Colony. Species of Eugenia (rose-apple) are cultivated for their fruits but only sparingly so. granatum, the Pomegranate, is cultivated, though more for its red flowers than for its fruits. Several species of Eucalyptus (E. globulus is the Blue- gum tree) and of Callistemon (Bottle-brush trees) are cultivated by the Botanical and Forestry Department, largely as roadside trees.
ECONOMIC USES. Eucalyptus oil and various gums are extracted from differ- ent species of Eucalyptus, others yield excellent timber. Allspice is prepared from Pimenta officinalis (Jamaica) and cloves are the dried flower buds of Eugenia caryophyllata.
RHODOMYRTUS, DC.
Calyx-tube campanulate, not produced above the ovary; limb of 5, or rarely 6 or lobes, broad and reaching to the ovary.
Petals as many,
free, spreading. Stamens numerous. Ovary 3 or 4-celled, with several ovules in each cell, inserted in 2 rows on axile placentas. Ovary globular, crowned by the calyx-lobes. Seeds several, horizontal, Rattened. Embryo curved, with a long radicle, and semicylindrical cotyledons.
RHODOMYRTUS TOMENTOSA, DC.
R. tomentosa, DC. Prod. iii. 240; Wight, Ic. t. 552 (as a section of Myrtus). A shrub of 4 or 5 feet, the branches the under side of the leaves, the peduncles, and calyx hoary with a very short soft tomentum. Leaves oval-elliptical, obtuse, 1 to 3 in. long, with 3 or rarely 5 ribs, starting from near the base as in Melastomacea, on short petioles, Peduncles axillary, shorter than the leaves, bearing 1 or 3 rather large pink flowers. Calyx tomentose, with 2 small bracts at the base. Petals 2 to 4 in. diameter, tomentose outside."
Bentham loc. cit. p. 120-1.
Rhodomyrtus tomentosa is probably Hong Kong's most abundant flowering shrub. In the months of May and June the hillsides are pink with its flowers. The leaves and young shoots are covered with a felt of soft hairs, the leaves are in opposite pairs and have 3 or 5 prominent veins, they are about 2 inches long. The flowers, with their 5 pink petals, diameter 2 inches, are in groups near the ends of the branches, each flower in the axil of a leaf. The flowers on opening are of a deep rose pink (not quite free from a tinge of purple) but as they get older the petals fade to a
May 1937.
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