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MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1975

HONG KONG HERBARIUM ******

THE HONG KONG HERBARIUM PROVIDES SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND ADVISORY SERVICES TO THE PUBLIC ON THE FLORA OF HONG KONG.

IT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF THE COLLECTION OF REFERENCE WORKS AND PLANT SPECIMENS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE LOCAL FLORA.

THE HERBARIUM, ADMINISTERED BY THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT, ALSO MAINTAINS CLOSE CONTACT WITH NEARLY 200 SISTER HERBARIA AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD. IT SENDS TO THEM ABOUT 800 SEED SAMPLES EACH YEAR FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES THROUGH THE INTERNATIONAL SEED EXCHANGE SCHEME.

: THE FLORA OF HONG KONG IS DIVERSE IN CHARACTER AND SURPRISINGLY NUMEROUS IN SPECIES. IT PROVIDES AN INTERESTING PHYTOGEOGRAPHICAL LINK BETWEEN CHINA AND THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS,+ A SPOKESMAN FOR THE HERBARIUM SAID.

THE HERBARIUM NOW HAS A COLLECTION OF MORE THAN 32,000 SPECIMENS OF DRIED AND PRESSED PLANT MATERIAL WHICH IS OF GREAT VALUE TO BOTANISTS AND TAXONOMISTS IN HONG KONG AND ABROAD.

THE COLLECTION INCLUDES DRIED AND PRESSED SPECIMENS OF VASCULAR PLANTS FOUND IN HONG KONG WHICH NOW TOTAL 2.420 SPECIES AND 87 VARIETIES, TOGETHER WITH APPROXIMATELY 2,500 RELATED SPECIES FROM ADJACENT REGIONS OF MAINLAND CHINA, EAST ASIA AND SOUTH EAST ASIA.

THE HERBARIUM WAS STARTED IN 1878 BY THE FIRST SUPERINTENDENT OF GARDENS, MR. CHARLES FORD. SOME OF THE SPECIMENS NOW KEPT THERE ARE MORE THAN A HUNDRED YEARS OLD, FOR EXAMPLE THE SPECIMENS OF GARDENIA JASMINOIDES AND STRIGA ASIATICA WHICH WERE COLLECTED IN 1874.

+OUR COLLECTION IS OF CONSIDERABLE HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE AND INCLUDES THE ORIGINAL TYPE' SPECIMENS WHICH FORMED THE BASIC RESEARCH MATERIAL FOR THE STANDARD REFERENCE WORK ON THE PLANTS OF THE REGION, DUNN AND TUTCHER'S 'FLORA OF KWANGTUNG AND HONG KONG' (1912)+, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

A. SECTION OF A 159-YEAR-OLD PINE TREE WHICH STARTED LIFE AS A SEEDLING IN THE EARLY 1800'S IS ANOTHER INTERESTING

ITEM ON SHOW IN THE HERBARIUM.

ALL THE SPECIMENS ARE WELL PRESERVED AND ARE KEPT IN CABINETS ESPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR SUCH PURPOSES. SYSTEMATIC CHECKS ARE CARRIED OUT TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE NOT DAMAGED BY INSECTS OR FUNGUS.

/THE HERBARIUM .....