| English Name | Hong Kong Camellia |
|---|---|
| Status in China | Endangered (EN) |
Description:
Trees, to 10 m tall; young branches reddish brown, glabrous. Leaves leathery, oblong, 7-13 cm long, base cuneate, glossy above, glabrous on both surfaces, margin sparsely and obtusely dentate; petiole 1 cm long. Flowers red, sessile, 5-7 cm in diam.; bracts and sepals covered with caducous silky hairs; petals 6-7, 3.5-4 cm long, base connate; stamens 3 cm long, glabrous; ovary hairy, styles 3-4, distinct. Capsule globose, 3 cm in diameter, 3-4-locular.
Distribution:
Victoria Peak, Pok Fu Lam, Mount Nicholson, Mount Parker. Guangdong.
Habitat and Ecology:
In thin forest. Flowering: Dec. to Feb. of the following year.
The large and red flower make it a very charming ornamental plant. This species was first discovered in 1849 in a ravine in Victoria Peak and only three individuals were found at that time. It was subsequently found in several localities in Hong Kong Island as well as in Guangdong Province. In Hong Kong, most of the localities of occurrence are in Country Parks under protection. The species is also protected under the Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96 sub. leg.). AFCD have been actively propagating this plant and reintroducing it into the wild. Seeds have been collected in the field and seedlings raised. Ex-situ conservation has also been adopted and living specimens are displayed in the Shing Mun Arboretum.
References:
張宏達，1991：廣東植物誌2：129，圖82。廣東科技出版社，廣州。
張宏達，1998：中國植物誌49(3): 18，圖版4：1-5。科學出版社，北京。
閔天祿，2000：世界山茶屬的研究224-225，圖版48：1-5。雲南科技出版社，昆明。
Seemann, B., 1859: Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 22(4): 342, t.60.
