CO129-538-1 Hong Kong University 31-12-1931 - 6-8-1932 — Page 77

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ported for the most part from Kwangtung. [D. and T. page 154. E. quinqueflorus, Lour.; Benth. Fl. Hongk, p. 200]. The flower is illustrated in a coloured plate which appeared in Vol. I of the "Hong Kong Naturalist," facing page 166.

IXORA CHINENSIS ;

Here again we come to a familiar flower, owing to its extensive cul- tivation in gardens. It is the demand for it as a cultivated plant that led to its near extermination. The plant is a small bush, growing at slight elevations. The flowers are in corymbs of numerous florets, ranging from a deep red to orange-red, flowering in the summer and autumn months. The cultivated species (not native to Hong Kong) range through shades of cream, pink, yellow and orange. D. and T. page 132. I. chinensis, Lam.; 1. stricta, Roxb. Benth. Fl. Hongk. 158].

LILIUM BROWNII.

The

A

This is the large lily which is one of Hong Kong's most beautiful wild flowers. The trumpets are seven inches long, sometimes pure white and in many cases streaked with purplish-bronze: anthers deep orange-red. The Chinese dig up the bulbs for boiling, making a nourishing soup. bulbs may be purchased in the market here, but probably all are imported from Chinese territory. The plant ranges over the whole of South and Central China apparently. The local plant is the variety colchesteri. full description of it appears in this number of the Naturalist." Protection has led to its gratifying increase, and last year (1931) it covered large areas on the Peak. The flowering period is June. [D. and T. page 280. L. Browni, F. E. Br.; Baker in Journ. Linn. Soc. xiv. 230]. It is doubtful whether L. longiflorum, described as always white, but with yellow anthers, exists as a really distinct wild species in Hong Kong. The only specimens the writer has found are those grown as pot plants. This statement is open to correction: readers might help.

LITSEA CITRATA :

This plant will probably be the least familiar to the average reader. It is a tree, with pointed leaves about four inches long, which are shed annually. The pure white flowers grow in clusters, on the branches, in the form of short racemes, and come out in January. There are a few specimens in Happy Valley and elsewhere. It is not likely to attract the casual rambler. D. and T. page 225. L. citrata, Blume; Tetranthera polyantha, Wall.; Benth. Fl. Hongk. 293].

BAUHINIA BLAKEANA:

This is an intruder, as it is not native to the Colony, but has been planted for its beautiful flowers. The Bauhinia tree is probably familiar to most people here: there are several fine specimens in Statue Square, whose pink and white flowers are a feature in their season. B. Blakeana has an interesting history. Its actual place of origin is said to be still un- determined. A tree found growing by priests of the Roman Catholic Mission at Pokfulam had some cuttings taken from it, and they developed

The Hong Kong Naturalist.

The Protection of Wild Plants in Hong Kong

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a number of plants in their garden. The many local specimens of to-day were grown from cuttings brought from there--the tree is now planted out by the roadside on the Peak and midlevels. It is distinct from the other Bauhinias by reason of its larger leaves and deeper red-magenta flowers. It was named by Dunn after a former Governor, Sir Henry Blake, and his wife. The tree flowers in winter. There is no reference in D. and T., where other species of Bauhinia are mentioned on page 90. A drawing and full description, however, will be found in Science Bulletin No. 1 of the Lingnan University, Canton, entitled Fifty-one Common Ornamental Trees of the Lingnan University Campus." In this, it is claimed that the distribution is in Kwangtung, sparingly, and that the plant has never been known to develop fruit.

C

Professor Woon-Young Chun, of Sun Yat-sen University, Canton, informs the writer that he considers this plant a natural hybrid, hence its failure to fruit.

MANGLIETIA FORDIANA ;

This tree,

with a beautiful cream-coloured flower, is likely to be nothing but a name to most residents. It is best described by reference to the closely-related Magnolia native to Hong Kong (M. pumila, better termed M. Championi). The flowers open in May. Dunn and Tutcher refer to one tree on the Peak Road, Hong Kong." It was apparently with the intention of preserving this tree that the species was placed in the protected It is fully described and illustrated in the last issue of the Hong Kong Naturalist," Vol. III, p. 21. [D. and T. page 28. M. Fordiana, Oliver in Hook. Ic. Pl. t. 1953].

list.

PAVETTA INDICA :

A fairly well-known plant is this close relative of Ixora, with which some botanical writers have included it. The bush is like Ixora, though the leaves are longer, darker green, and the plant more slender. It some- times attains the proportions of a small tree. The flowers are white, more graceful than Ixora, and faintly scented. It blooms in May and June pro- fusely, and a second flowering period, with fewer blooms, has been noted in September-October. The plant is fully described and illustrated in the last issue of the "Hong Kong Naturalist," Vol. III, p. 30. It is fairly well distributed, and the stroller along the end of Bowen Road towards Happy Valley will be familiar with it. [D. and T. page 132. P. indica, Linn.; Hook. f. Fl. Brit, Ind. iii. 150].

SPATHOGLOTTIS PUBESCENS:

This terrestrial orchid is the well-known buttercup yellow flower of midsummer; with elongated leaves, and scapes of delightful blooms, tinged with reddish-brown. It hardly requires any further description. A full account, with illustrations, appeared in the "Hong Kong Naturalist," Vol. II,

No. 3, pp. 174 et seq. D. and T. page 263. S. pubescens, Lindl. S.

Fortunei, Lindl.; Benth. Fl. Hongk. 355].

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