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Many villagers have a good working knowledge of the usefulness of some local plants. Aquilaria sinensis is used in the manufacture of scented joss sticks. And among those used in traditional Chinese herbal medicines are psychotria rubra, Ardisia crispa and Strophanthus divaricatus, which are considered good for bruises and certain injuries.

Botanical explorations carried out by the Hong Kong Herbarium, the territory's two universities and amateur botanists, have been productive. One tree species new to science was discovered during the year and has been named Persea Kadooriei.

Zoological and Botanical Gardens

The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, managed by the Urban Council, was established as the Botanic Gardens in 1871 with an area of about seven hectares. The layout of the present 5.35-hectare garden is strictly formal with wide paths, pavilions, flower beds and a central fountain. The fountain terrace, located on the roof of a 21 000 cubic-metre service reservoir, is surrounded by symmetrical flower beds containing roses, medicinal plants and annual bedding plants. In two nearby green-houses, tropical shade-loving plants are cultivated. The gardens contain a wide range of plants from various climates, but it is planned to concentrate more on native species in future.

Zoological exhibits in the gardens comprise both animals and birds. They include Jaguars, Tree Kangaroos, Orang-utans, Caracal Lynx, Crested Porcupines, Common Squirrel Monkeys, Tree Squirrels, Siamangs, Golden Agoutis, Celebes Black Apes, White-cheeked Crested Gibbons, Common Marmosets, Red Mantle Saddleback Marmosets, and Mouse Deers. Some of these animals have bred offspring in the gardens.

The bird collection, which is among the best in Asia, concentrates on rare or protected species. Altogether, more than 800 specimens representing about 300 species are housed. An excellent breeding record for birds in captivity has been achieved in recent years, including success with the White-naped Crane and the Count Raggi's Bird of Paradise, the latter being only the fifth instance on record in the world.

The success of the bird collection is encouraging the creation of aviaries in the Urban Council's public parks. As a first step, a new display aviary has been built in an attractively landscaped setting in Kowloon Park to supplement the existing open aviary in Victoria Park, while in the Zoological and Botanical Gardens a substantial new free-flight aviary is under construction.