Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2005

Azaleas The Petalled Beauty The azalea belongs to the Ericaceae fam ily ; also b e lo n g in g to the same fa m ily is the fuchsia. A native o f w a rm temperate zones in Asia, Europe, and N o rth America, azaleas are w id e ly scattered. There are 850 w ild species, o ve r 600 o f w h ic h are in C h in a . Some species can be u se d in m edicine, such as the red azalea w h ic h is said to detoxify, clear heat, dissolve ph legm and cure coughs. N e p a l has chosen the tre e -like azalea (Rhododendron arboretum) o f the H im alayas as its n a tio n a l flow e r. The w h ite azalea discovere lo c a lly is nam ed the H o n g K o n g Azalea. W ild azaleas are p ro te c te d b y la w an d p ic k in g p ro h ib ite d . Species on campus in c lu d e the re azalea, the w h ite azalea, the H o n g K o n g azalea, and the Farrer's azalea. The best p la c e to p a y o u r re s p e c ts is o n U n iv e rs ity Road near the B e n jam in F ra n k lin Centre. W h e n th e y b lo om in M a rc h and A p r il, b u n d le s o f p u rp le , w h ite a n d re d d a z z le w it h th e ir b rillia n c e . The fam ou s Chinese poet B a i J u y i, d e s c rib in g th e azalea, writes, ‘It is like the Xishi o f flowers', X i s h i b e in g o n e o f th e fo u r le g e n d a ry b e a u tie s in a n c ie n t C h ina . N o n e o f us has even seen Xishi, b u t w e can feast o u r eyes on the generous azalea every year. Branches Heavy w ith Red and Lavender In la te s p rin g and e a rly summ e r, pede strians around the KCR U n iv e rs ity S tation cannot help b u t notice tw o b ig trees — the jacaranda w ith its la vender flow e rs and the fam ous flam e tree w ith its re d . The ja c a ra n d a re sem b le s an d requires s im ila r g row in g conditions as the flame tree, hence it is also k n o w n as the ‘b lu e flam e tre e '. B u t in fact, the tw o b e lo n g to d iffe re n t fa m ilie s . The ja ca ra n d a , a n a tiv e o f B ra z il, belongs to the Bignoniaceae fam ily, whereas the fla m e tre e ( D e l o n i x regia), o rig in a tin g in Madagascar, is a Caesalpiniaceae. There a re v e r y f e w jaracandas on cam p u s; A sea of azaleas on University Road