ENG-1965 — Page 299

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NATURAL HISTORY

jasmine and the wild persimmon are black. The remarkable star-like fruit of the Sterculia turns crimson in late summer and splits open to disclose jet black seeds. At a distance, these open fruits look like large red flowers.

There are several very poisonous plants which should be better known to the general public. These include two species of Strychnos which have very brightly coloured fruits resembling small oranges, a species of Strophanthus which has conspicuous fruits unmistakable because of their large size and horn-like shape, and a species of Gelsemium which is the most poisonous of local plants. The latter is a climber with dense terminal clusters of yellow flowers each about half an inch in diameter, blooming towards the end of the year. All parts of the plant contain the alkaloid Gelsemidine, which is a spinal poison. It is said that as little as 12 grammes of leaf constitute a fatal dose and that death follows within a few hours. It is sometimes used by country people to commit suicide. Wild edible fruits include a wild jack-fruit, Artocarpus, the fruit of the rose-myrtle, wild bananas and raspberries. Several species of per- simmon are wild, but their fruits are too astringent to be eaten raw.

F

There are numerous plants which closely resemble their European relatives. Old Man's Beard, the common Clematis of English hedge- rows, has five close relatives in Hong Kong. There are four wild violets but they are scentless, like the English dog violet. The English honey-suckle has five relatives whose Cantonese name is kam ngan fa (gold and silver, flower) because of their change in colour from white to yellow.

More than 70 species of native orchids are recorded in the flora. Most of the epiphytic species possess small flowers which are not of particular interest to the horticulturist. Some of the ground orchids are very beautiful and have long been cultivated in other countries. Probably the best known of the local species is the Nun orchid, bearing flowers four inches across with white petals and a purple lip. Other noteworthy species are the white Susanna orchid, the yellow Buttercup orchid, the pink Bamboo orchid and the purple Lady's Slipper orchid.

There is a fine wild iris, Iris speculatrix, further south than any other true iris. Its violet flower, from 24 to three inches in diameter, is tinged with bright orange and blooms from the middle of March