Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2005

and phlegm . T h irty years ago, German scientists d is c o v e re d th a t fla v o n o id s co n ta in e d in the G in k g o are e x trem e ly e ffe c tiv e in d e la y in g atherosclerosis, m a k in g G ing ko -b a sed h e a lth foo d s v e ry p o p u la r. The tree is rare in H o n g K on g as the te rrito ry 's subtropical clim ate is n o t id e a l fo r its g ro w th . The U n iv e rs ity campus, however, is blessed w ith fiv e specimens, tw o o f w h ic h w e re p la n te d in 1973 in C h u n g C h i College, tw o others in 1991 in Shaw College, and the youngest in 2004, in N e w A sia College. In the bushy th ic ke t b y the KCR U n iv e rs ity S tation, tw o trees w ith sm ooth, g re yish w h ite tru n k s stan d ta ll and erect. T he y are lem o n - scented g um trees. The g um tree, a Myrt aceae w ith o ve r 500 species, is a n a tiv e o f A u s tra lia and N ew Zealand. I t is fa st-g row in g w ith some species reaching u p to 90 metres in height. G um trees have ve ry th in ba rk. I t is said tha t if y o u p u t y o u r ear to th e tr u n k a n d lis te n care fu lly, y o u can hear the s o u n d o f w a te r b e in g a b s o rb e d b y “ c a p i l l a r y tu b e s in th e tree. The leaves w h e n c ru s h e d g iv e o ff a s tro n g scent o f lem on . O i l e x t r a c t e d from b lue gum i s a p r i m a r y in g re d ie n t o f m a n y m e d ic a te d o ils fo r external use. Jules Verne, the fa th e r o f science fic tio n a n d a u th o r o f A r o u n d the W o r l d i n E i g h t y Days, has a special lo ve fo r g um trees. H e fo u n d th em h ig h ly u s e fu l and described them in detail in m any o f h is w o rk s . Besides the KCR sta tio n , there are lem on-scented g um trees outside the tennis cou rt in Shaw C o lle ge and n e xt to the C hung C h i College S taff C lub. B ut the tallest ones are the fiv e in fro n t o f H u a Lien Tang. The scent o f the l e m o n - s c e n t e d g u m is a m o s q u ito r e p e lle n t. T h e a b o rig in e s o f A u s t r a lia w o u ld take shelter unde r g u m t r e e s w h e n s ta y in g o v e rn ig h t in th e open. Ginkgo the oldest tree in the world Lemon- scented gum