''Camellia hongkongensis'' (), the Hong Kong camellia, is a species of ''
camellia''.
Description
''Camellia hongkongensis'' is a small
evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...
which can grow to feet tall. Of the camellia species native to Hong Kong, only this species bears red flowers.
Its young branches are reddish brown. The leaves are leathery and oblong with 7–13 cm long. The young branches and leaf are glabrous.
Distribution
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 ...
, three individuals of the species were first discovered in a ravine in
Victoria Peak by Colonel Eyre in 1849. It was later found in
Pok Fu Lam,
Mount Nicholson,
Mount Parker on
Hong Kong Island. It is also found 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 ...
.
Specimens of the Hong Kong camellia are living in the
Shing Mun Arboretum public gardens.
In Hong Kong, it is a protected species under
Forestry Regulations Cap. 96A.
''Camellia hongkongensis'' was introduced to Japan in 1958 from
Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens.
See also
*
Grantham's camellia
References
hongkongensis
Flora of Hong Kong
Trees of China
Endemic flora of China
Garden plants of Asia
Endangered plants
Plants described in 1859
Taxa named by Berthold Carl Seemann
{{tree-stub