Camellia hongkongensis ' onMouseout='HidePop("40897")' href="/topics/Camellia">Camellia

Camellia

Camellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number...

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Description

Camellia hongkongensis is a small evergreen

Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...

 tree

Tree

A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...

 which can grow to 10 m-30 feet tall. Of the Camellia species native to Hong Kong, only this species bears red flowers.

Its young branches are reddish brown. The leaves are leathery and oblong with 7-13 cm long. The young branches and leaf are glabrous.

Distribution

In Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, three individuals of the species were first discovered in a ravine in Victoria Peak

Victoria Peak

Victoria Peak is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island...

 by Colonel Eyre in 1849; it is later found in Pok Fu Lam

Pok Fu Lam

Pok Fu Lam or Pokfulam is a residential area on Hong Kong Island, at the western end of the Southern District.Pok Fu Lam is a valley between Victoria Peak and Mount Kellet, around Telegraph Bay....

, Mount Nicholson

Mount Nicholson

Mount Nicholson is a tall mountain located on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.Camellia hongkongensis and Rhododendron hongkongensis, two plant species native to Hong Kong, are found on the mountain....

, Mount Parker

Mount Parker, Hong Kong

Mount Parker is the highest peak on Hong Kong Island after Victoria Peak . It is the 40th highest peak of the territory of Hong Kong.-Ecology:...

 on Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...

. It is also found in Guangdong

Guangdong

Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...

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Specimens of the Hong Kong Camellia are living in the Shing Mun Arboretum

Shing Mun Country Park

The Shing Mun Country Park is a country park of Hong Kong, hugging the Shing Mun Reservoir.-Location:Located in the central New Territories, it covers a total of 14 km²...

 public gardens. In Hong Kong, it is a protected species under Forestry Regulations Cap. 96A.

Camellia hongkongensis was introduced to Japan in 1958 from Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens

Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens

The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens is one of the oldest zoological and botanical centres in the world. It occupies an area of 5.6 hectares at Mid-levels, on the northern slope of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong...

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