8 New Hong Kong Plant Species Discovered by Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden

Botanists from Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden (KFBG) have recently reported the discovery of eight brand-new plant species in Hong Kong, six of which are native to the region, and two of which are not. 

The six new native species include: the Pithraj tree (Aphanamixis polystachya), ellipsoidal Sageretia (Sageretia ellipsoidea), hooked Sageretia (Sageretia hamosa), short-styled star jasmine (Trachelospermum breviculatum), Hainan ginger (Zingiber hainanense), and wavyleaf basketgrass (Oplismenus undulatifolius)

The two non-native species, which have become naturalised, include: false moneywort (Alysicarpus ovalifolius) and creeping cucumber (Melothria pendula).

Voucher specimens of each new species - a preserved sample of each newly discovered plant that serves as a record of its existence and discovery - have been kept in the KFBG Herbarium.

A research article set to be published in the botanical journal, Subtropical Plant Science, will officially document the new plant discoveries.

The first author of the paper, Miss Zhu Hui-ling, an ecologist of the Flora Conservation Department of KFBG, said, "There are still many newly recorded species for Hong Kong yet to be reported."