Hong Kong Camellia
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| Hong Kong Camellia | ||||||||||||||
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| Camellia hongkongensis Seemann |
Camellia hongkongensis(Chinese: 香港茶, also Hong Kong Camellia) is a species of Camellia. It is a small evergreen tree which can grow to 10 m tall.
Its young branches are reddish brown. The leaves are leathery and oblong with 7-13 cm long. The young branches and leaf are glabrous.[1]. Of the Camellia species native to Hong Kong, only this species bears red flowers.
In Hong Kong, three individuals of the species were first discovered in a ravine in Victoria Peak by Colonel Eyre in 1849; it is later found in Pok Fu Lam, Mount Nicholson, Mount Parker on Hong Kong Island. It is also found in Guangdong [1].
Some living specimens are planted in the Shing Mun Arboretum [1].
In Hong Kong, it is a protected species under Forestry Regulations Cap. 96A.
It was introduced to Japan in 1958 from Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens.
