Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2005

Bauhinia and Bauhinia Blakeana There is an abundance of b a u h in ia b la ke a n a and bauh inia on campus. The tw o are ve ry s im ila r bo th being Caesalpiniaceae and b o th h a v in g heart-shaped leaves. It is d iffic u lt to te ll them apart w h e n the y are n o t flow e rin g . They exist side b y side on the slope le a d in g to the In s titu te o f Chinese Studies and in C u ltu ra l Square ou tsid e the B en jam in F ra n k lin Centre. There are also q u ite a fe w fla n k in g C e n tra l A venue . H o w can w e id e n tify th em w ith o u t lo o k in g at the labe ls o n the tree tru n k s ? The b a u h in ia b la k e a n a is in fe r tile ; i t does n o t p ro d u c e seeds an d has to be p ro p a g a te d b y c u ttin g and other methods. The ba u h in ia bears da rk flattened pods, so trees w ith pods are lik e ly to be b a uh inia w h ile those w ith o u t are bauh inia blakeana. T he ir flow e rs are also ve ry d iffe rent. In 1908, th e b a u h in ia tre e w a s f o r m a lly established as a new species nam ed b a u h in ia b la k e a n a , a fte r S ir H e n r y B la k e , th e th e n G ove rn or o f H o n g Kong, as a reco gn ition o f his su p p o rt fo r the Botanical Gardens. Ashoka and Shiuying Bamboo There is an ashoka tree b y W e iy u a n L a ke in Chung C h i College. Planted in 1997, it is the o n ly one at the U n iv e rs ity and one o f v e ry few in the te r r it o r y . A s h o k a tre e , a Ca e s a l p i n i a c e a e Bauhinia blakeana o rig in a tin g in Ind ia, was in tro du ced in to China in th e 1950s b y G u a n g z h o u 's S o u th C h in a Botanical Garden. W hen the tree flow ers in A p ril o r M ay, clusters o f g o ld e n petals sparkle on its crown, emanating a lo ve ly fragrance. A precious p lan t, the tree's name ‘A sho ka' means ‘w ith o u t s o rro w ' in Sanskrit. A cc o rd in g to the B u d d h is t sutra, B ud dh a was b o rn u n d e r an ashoka tree. The ba rk o f the tree is believed to have m edicinal value . In In d ia , it is used to tre a t depression, m enstrual p a in and u te rine bleeding in women. The c o rre la tio n between the sto ry o f B uddha's n a tiv ity an d the tre e 's m e d ic in a l p ro p e rtie s w o u ld make a fascinating research topic. The S h iu y in g bam boo is a na tiv e o f H o n g K o n g w h ic h cannot be fo u n d elsewhere. W hen discovered in the late 1970s, it was o n ly spotted a t C U H K a n d E a g le 's N e s t n e a r K o w lo o n Reservoirs. A t the tim e, Paul P u i-h a y B u t and Jia L ia n g -z h i were in v o lv e d in Prof. H u S h iu - y in g 's c om p ila tio n o f Flora of Ho n g Kong. They w ere responsible fo r d o cum e n tin g the Poaceae fa m ily and came across th is un iq ue bamboo on the slope o f H u a L ien Tang and C hung C h i Tang in C h u n g C h i C o lle ge . O rd in a rily , S o u th e rn bamboos are bushy, b u t this v a rie ty is s lig h t and slender, m easuring fo u r to s ix metres h ig h and one to tw o centimetres in diameter. It is tho rned and tra ilin g rhizom es secure it to the soil. The entire slope was covered w ith the bamboo. The tw o scholars nam ed the new species after th e ir be lo ved teacher, Prof. H u S h iu -yin g . Paul P u i- hay B ut is n ow a professor o f the D epa rtm ent of B io lo g y at the Chinese U n iv e rs ity and Jia L iang- z h i is a professor at the South China In s titu te o f Botany. Ginkgo and Lemon-scented Gum The Ginkgoaceae has existed since the Palaeozoic Era 200 m illio n years ago, m a k in g the G in kg o the oldest tree in the w o rld . H ow e v e r the w ild va rie ty is n ow extinct. O rig in a tin g in China, the G in k g o is a tem p e ra te zone d e c id u o u s tree w h ic h can g ro w to an im p o s in g 35 m etres in he ight. G ive n its h a rd y and rob ust nature, it is n o t un com m o n to fin d G in kg o trees o f several h u n d re d yea rs. T here are m a le an d fem a le G inkgos. Seeds from the female are the G ing ko fru its we comm o nly use in cooking. The Chinese Herbal Mat e ri a Medica calls the G in kg o ‘ du ck's w eb' after the shape o f its leaf, and has a form ula, D u ck's Web Powder, tha t treats asthma, coughs Ashoka