ENG-1947 — Page 178

The late Mr. L. Gibbs mentioned that once in a single acre in the New Territories he had found more species of ferns than exist wild in the whole of the British Isles. This super- abundance of kinds of plants makes their study arduous. In England there are two native oaks and one hybrid; here there are 21 species. Because our oaks are evergreen, like the Holm oak cultivated in England, they are not easily recognized as such. They do bear acorns, as do all oaks, but few people look for these. There are 22 species of fig which vary in size from the large Chinese banyan to small shrubs growing in well- watered valleys; they all bear figs but, as most are small, they may not be identified as figs, unless split open with a penknife. There is an amazing wealth of flowering shrubs and trees, many with very beautiful flowers, many with very fragrant flowers. Some are easy to place in their correct families; for example, the common wild Gordonia looks like and is related to Camellia, and the wild roses are unmistakably roses. But most are not so easy to name. They include a Magnolia, a Michelia with large white flowers, a Rhodoleia with groups of rose-madder coloured petals surrounded by golden bracts, an Illicium with cherry pink flowers, a Tutcheria with large Camellia-like flowers, white tinged with gold, and with masses of tangerine orange stamens. A Local Styrax with fragrant flowers is reminiscent of Halesia, the American Snowdrop tree. Six species of Rhododendron grow wild in the Colony; of these one is extremely abundant, another so rare that it is only known to exist on one shoulder of Victoria Peak, Hong Kong. The Heather family is represented by a very lovely Enkianthus which bears beautiful pink bells in early spring at the time of the Chinese New Year. The Chinese name "tiu chung", hanging bells, is a good one. Flowering at the same time is a Litsea with small creamy white and exceedingly fragrant flowers. There are no wild Hydrangeas but this family is represented by Dichroa with small blue flowers and bright blue berries.

Many local shrubs and a few herbs have very beautiful and striking fruits, all the colours of the rainbow being represented. Red is the colour of the berries of many of the wild hollies-- none of which have prickles-among them Ardisia which is very abundant and Chloranthus which is the most holly-like of the berried plants. Orange is a common colour of fruits including the large orange-like fruits of Melodinus, the smaller fruits of Strychnos, enclosing strychnine-bearing seeds, and the berries of the wild Kumquat. The winged fruits of Gardenia, with persistent sepals projecting like feathers from a shuttle- cock, change to orange and red when ripe, and yield a yellow dye. Yellow is the colour of numerous fruits mostly with long and elusive names; one of which is Maesa which abounds on shady hillsides. Green is characteristic of many fruits and berries which are mostly inconspicuous in consequence; among them are those of Mussaenda, the Buddha's lamp. Blue is not such a common colour: many berries are black with a bluish waxy deposit. Probably the only true blue is that of Dichroa a close relative of Hydrangea. Purple, violet and mauve are

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