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894
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 3RD JUNE, 1899.
The plant was discovered by myself on the Lienchau river in the Kwangtung province in 1887, and then introduced to Hongkong. It is well worth cultivating in tropical countries.
17. Rourea santaloides, W. & Arn. This is a lovely plant when in bloom, which when culti- vated as in these gardens is immensely improved in the quantity of flowers it bears to any wild speci- mens I have seen of it. It is indigenous to this island.
18. Rhodoleia Championi, Hook. Until last year it was not known that this beautiful tree existed in a wild state in any part of the world with the exception of four trees on one of the hills of Hongkong. It is of a genus which has only two known species, the one of Hongkong and another, R. Teysmanni, Mig.. found in Sumatra. Last year Dr. A. HENRY sent as a donation about 1,174 species of dried plants which he had collected while at Mengtsze in Yunnan, I found specimens of this hitherto extremely rare tree.
amongst them
The specimens before me are marked on Dr. HENRY's labels as being from two different places, one of them being 5,000 ft. and the other 8,000 ft. above sea level, and are marked as 40 ft. and 50 ft. as the height of the trees respectively.
These two specimens and our own are all slightly different in both foliage and inflorescence, but possibly not of sufficient difference to constitute them more than varietal differences.
19. Illicium verum, Hook, f. Although so long ago as in 1888 when Sir JOSEPH HOOKER was able to figure the star anise plant, and to describe it under the above name, from plants which I had sent to Kew, and which proved that up to that time Illicium religiosum, Sieb, had always been wrongly credited as being the source of star anise of commerce, I notice that the French in Tonkin, where the plant is largely cultivated, appear to be still unaware of the fact, as the Tonkin newspapers still refer to it under the wrong name, and the same mistake is made in English literature in China. Sir Joseph HOOKER wrote fully on this plant under Tab. 7,005 in the Botanical Magazine for 1888.
20. Strawberries-It may be useful to record here the great success achieved by a Chinese grower at Wongneichung, from whence a very liberal supply of excellent fruit has been sent to the market this year, and which was sold at prices which should encourage extended cultivation for market supply.
INTERCHANGE OF PLANTS AND SEEDS.
21. The chief donors were :→→ Acclimatizing Association, South California.
Botanic Gardens, Bangalore.
Dammann & Co., Italy.
Baroda, India.
Brisbane.
>>
11
97
British Guiana.
31
Grenada.
21
Nagpur, India.
Penang.
**
13
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Royal, Calcutta.
Kew.
•
Sibpur, Calcutta.
Singapore.
Sydney.
"
Brown, Miss, Amoy.
Cundall, C. H., Manila.
22. The following were the principal recipients
Atkinson, Dr.
Henry, Dr. A.
Hillier, H. M. Hodgins, Capt. Humphreys, H.
Koebele, A.. Honolulu. Lawford, Vincent, R.N. May. c.M.G, Ilon. F. H. Péché, G., Moulmein. Roebelin, C.
Stephens, M. J. D.
Stephens, Mrs. S. R.
Treseder & Co., Truro.
Veitch, J. & Sons., London. Walker, Capt., Foochow.
Botanic Gardens, Royal, Calcutta.
Barton, J.
Bathurst, Capt.
Botanic Gardens, Penang.
Kew.
"
19
Imperial Department of Agriculture, Barbados, Cundall, C. H, Manila.
PLANT SALES.
23. The sum of $674.46 was taken for 2,959 plants sold, a small decrease on the figures for 1897 owing to sales to places out of Hongkong being discontinued as the resources for propagating and cultivating are not more than enough to supply local requirements.
LOAN OF PLANTS.
24. The number of plants lent to the public for decoration purposes was 3,898, for which $202 was charged, a very slight decrease on the previous year.
RAINFALL.
25. The rainfall recorded at the gardens was 65.99 inches in comparison with 110.27 of the previous year. The daily figures are given in Appendix A.
HERBARIUM AND LIBRARY.
26. We are indebted to Dr. A. HENRY, F.L.S., for a fine collection of 1,174 dried species of plants which were collected in Yunnan. These have all been poisoned, as well as other collections, but there has been no time to mount and incorporate them in the completed specimens.
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