''Camellia granthamiana'' (), or Grantham's camellia, is a rare, endangered species of ''

Camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in tropical and subtropical areas in East Asia, eastern and South Asia, southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are ...

'', which was first discovered in Hong Kong in 1955. The distribution of the species is limited in both Hong Kong and

Mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

. Only one individual of the species was found at that time when it was discovered. A few more wild populations were found in Ma On Shan and also in

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

(including

Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

). It was first discovered in the ravine of Tai Mo Shan in 1955 by AFCD. It was named in honour of the then

Governor of Hong Kong The governor of Hong Kong was the representative of the United Kingdom, British The Crown, Crown in British Hong Kong, Hong Kong from 1843 to 1997. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, Executiv ...

, Sir Alexander Grantham. Tai Mo Shan Montane Scrub Forest in the upper Shing Mun Valley was assigned as a

Sites of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

(SSSI) in 1975 as the forest supports this rare species and other species, '' Camellia waldenae'', ''

Amentotaxus argotaenia ''Amentotaxus argotaenia'', the catkin yew, is a species of conifer in the family Taxaceae. It is a shrub or a small tree up to tall. ''Amentotaxus argotaenia'' var. ''brevifolia'' has been described from southern Guizhou and listed separately ...

'' and many species of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

s. In

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, it is a protected species under Forestry Regulations Cap. 96A.

References

granthamiana Flora of Hong Kong Trees of China Least concern plants Plants described in 1956 {{tree-stub

See also

References