Saxifrages, Stonecrops & Allies - Saxifragales
Native / Non-native
Sweetgum Family - Altingiaceae
Mountain Lychee - Liquidambar chinensis Sweet Gum - Liquidambar formosana Stonecrop Family - Crassulaceae Flaming Katy - Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Mother of Thousands - Kalanchoe delagoensis Air Plant - Kalanchoe pinnata Daphniphyllum Family - Daphniphyllaceae Cow's Ear - Daphniphyllum calcynium Tiger Skin Daphniphyllum - Daphniphyllum pentandrum |
Water Milfoil Family - Haloragaceae
Parrot Feather - Myriophyllum aquaticum Witch-Hazel Family - Hamamelidaceae Red Strap Flower - Loropetalum chinense rubrum Hong Kong Witch Hazel - Loropetalum subcordatum Hong Kong Rose - Rhodoleia championii Sweetspire Family - Iteaceae Itea - Itea chinensis |
Sweetgum Family - Altingiaceae
Mountain Lychee 山荔枝 Liquidambar chinensis
Sweet Gum 楓香 Liquidambar formosana
This is one of the few native trees in Hong Kong which has leaves that change colour in the autumn. There are quite a few in Tai Tam Country Park and some in Plover Cove Country Park, Tai Po Kau etc.
Stonecrop Family - Crassulaceae
Flaming Katy 多花伽藍菜 Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
Mother of Thousands 大葉落地生根 Kalanchoe delagoensis
So-named because along the edge of each leaf there are many tiny plantlets, that drop off to form a new plant. In Hong Kong it is often found in really poor soil, often on rooftops or concrete ledges, or on top of bus shelters.
Air Plant 落地生根 Kalanchoe pinnata
Native to Madagascar. Also known as a 'Goethe Plant' as the favourite plant of German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It's a succulent, perennial weed in the Hong Kong setting.
Daphniphyllum Family - Daphniphyllaceae
Cow's Ear 牛耳楓 Daphniphyllum calycinum
A small tree, quite common in woodland in Hong Kong. The inflorescences appear as tightly packed clusters in spring, expanding out to form soft oval berries by midsummer.
Tiger Skin Daphniphyllum 虎皮楠 Daphniphyllum oldhamii
Water Milfoil Family - Haloragaceae
Parrot Feather 粉綠狐尾藻 Myriophyllum aquaticum
Witch-Hazel Family - Hamamelidaceae
Red Strap Flower 紅花檵木 Loropetalum chinense rubrum
Hong Kong Witch Hazel 四藥門花 Loropetalum subcordatum
An evergreen shrub with leathery oval leaves. The flower heads are composed of around 20 five-petalled flowers clustered around the same head. It is a category II threatened plant in China. It occurs on Lantau and Hong Kong Island and also in the Chinese provinces of Guangxi and Guizhou.
Hong Kong Rose 紅花荷 Rhodoleia championii
This small tree with simple, leathery alternate leaves flowers from January to March. It's not particularly common but there are some in Tai Lam Country Park and Shing Mun Country Park. This tree was first discovered in Hong Kong in 1848. It is also native to Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. It is pollinated mainly by birds such as Swinhoe's White-Eye.
Sweetspire Family - Iteaceae
Itea 老鼠刺 Itea chinensis
The flower plumes appear in spring. The plumes are bushier and shorter than those of castanopsis fissa which flowers at roughly the same time. This tree is a member of the sweetspire family.