Zhou Min
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the return of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to the motherland. There is a plant that has become familiar to people since the return of Hong Kong, and that is the "Bauhinia" that became the symbol of the Hong Kong regional flag and regional emblem.
Bauhinia × blakeana Dunn (Bauhinia × blakeana Dunn), Leguminosae Bauhinia genus, tree. Zhou Min Picture
In fact, the exact scientific name of this "Bauhinia flower" in " Flora of China " should be "Bauhinia × blakeana Dunn". But when searching for this name on the Internet, different plants are often found, and there are even articles with wrong pictures. That's because naming conventions vary from place to place. In Hong Kong, people are accustomed to calling the red-flowered Bauhinia variegata " Bauhinia variegata", and the Bauhinia variegata recorded in "Fora of China" is called " Palace Pink Bauhinia ". The name "Bauhinia" started when Hong Kong returned to . At that time, many media used this name in reports. But in fact, the true redbud (Cercis chinensis) and the red flower beetle are not the same plant. The two flower shapes are completely different and are often confused.
This is Bauhinia (Cercis chinensis). Because of its similar name, it is often mistaken for the flower of Hong Kong. Zhou Min Picture
The red-flowered sheep's hoof beetle is an authentic Hong Kong plant. In 1880, a French missionary discovered this tree for the first time in Steel Bay in Pok Fu Lam, west of Hong Kong Island. He transplanted it back to the monastery by cutting branches. Because the flowers are large and colorful and bloom almost all year round, they are especially suitable for garden planting and appreciation. They were soon introduced to the Hong Kong Botanical Garden and a church in Guangzhou. In 1908, British botanist Dunn (the last word in the scientific name) officially named it after Henry Blake, the former governor of Hong Kong.
The flowers of the red flower beetle are large and beautiful, and have a faint fragrance. There are five petals, the flower shape is symmetrical, and the veins on the middle petal are deeper; there are also five developing stamens, and the two on the edge are slightly shorter. sheep's hoof describes the shape of its leaves. The leaves of this genus are divided into two parts, either deeply or shallowly, resembling sheep's hoof .
The petals have five petals and five developing stamens. Zhou Min Figure
The name of the sheep's hoof beetle comes from the characteristics of the leaves. Zhou Min Picture
With its outstanding beauty, the red-flowered sheep's hoof originally born in a remote alley in the countryside has become a favorite of Hong Kong people. As early as 1965, it was selected as the city flower of Hong Kong; Hong Kong has issued stamps with it as the theme many times, and it can be seen everywhere on Hong Kong dollars, which shows how deeply this flower is deeply rooted in the hearts of Hong Kong.
The safflower beetle appears on the 2 Hong Kong dollar.
In 1997, when Hong Kong returned to the motherland, the red-flowered sheep's hoof came to the fore and became the regional flag symbol representing Hong Kong, surpassing patterns such as the dragon and the Pearl of the Orient. How does a plant become a recognized representative of a region? The story behind this is curious.
In an interview, one of the judges of the Hong Kong Regional Flag and Regional Emblem Selection Committee and the famous Hong Kong designer Han Binghua shared this precious history: "In 1987, the solicitation for the regional flag and regional emblem of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region received a total of There were 7,147 design drafts from home and abroad, but unfortunately, no single work was able to win the first prize and become the final design.” Director Qian Weichang of the selection committee also said, “The drafts collected cover almost everything related to the design. There are symbols related to Hong Kong, but there is no visual element that can uniquely represent Hong Kong.”
At this time, Han Binghua thought, “Among the many participating designs, we found that many works include the five-star symbolizing China and the bauhinia symbolizing Hong Kong. Therefore, we proposed to use the redbud flower plus five stars in the main shape. This creative idea directly influenced the use of lotus as the symbol of the regional flag and regional emblem after Macao returned to China.
In 1997, the first set of stamps was issued after the return of Hong Kong. For the first time, the words "China" and "CHINA" appear on the face of the ticket.
In the hot climate of Southern China, safflower beetles can bloom almost all year round.The winter before last, I went to Guangzhou to visit friends and saw red flowers blooming on the trees under the bright southern sun. In fact, Bauhinia purpurea is a hybrid, the product of a natural cross between Bauhinia purpurea and Bauhinia. The “×” in its scientific name clearly indicates its mixed ancestry. Hybrids often don't bear fruit. Perhaps because of this, the energy saved can be used to bloom multiple times, right?
Because it does not bear fruit, safflower beetles are usually reproduced asexually by methods such as high-altitude layering, hard branch cuttings or grafting. In other words, the red-flowered sheep's hoof beetles all over the world today are all descendants of the tree in Hong Kong.
Flowers throughout the year and is now very common in mainland China. Zhou Min Picture
The two parents of the red flower beetle are also very beautiful ornamental trees. In Chongqing, sheep's hoof beetles are also relatively common and usually bloom in November when the autumn wind picks up. Its flowers are usually pale pink or purple, with narrow petals and often wrinkled edges. They have only three stamens and have a pleasant, light aroma. After the flowers fade, they will soon produce pods.
Sheep's hoof beetle, the petals are narrow and 3 stamens are developed. Zhou Min Picture
Sheep's hoof beetles can bear large numbers of fruits. Zhou Min Picture
Bauhinia is less planted in Chongqing and can be seen occasionally. It usually blooms once in April. In places such as Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian, it is the most popular plant of the genus Trichoderma and is often planted as a street tree. Foreigners call it the "Orchid Tree" because they think it looks like an orchid. From a distance, it looks like an orchid blooming in a tropical jungle.
"Orchid Tree" Bauhinia Bauhinia Zhou Min Picture
Bauhinia Bauhinia is most common in light pink. Friends from the south often say proudly, "Come to our city and show you the pink all over the city!" It also has a white variant, called white-flowered bauhinia , and there are also various shades of purple. Among them, the purple-red bauhinia is most easily confused with the red-flowered bauhinia. But if you look closely, you can find the difference between the two flowers: the petals of redbud are compact, partially overlapped, and the flower shape is straight; while the petals of red flower beetle are looser, with obvious gaps between the petals.
The purple-red bauhinia is most easily confused with the red-flowered bauhinia. Note that its petals are overlapping. Photographed in Guilin. Bobo Picture
In contrast, the red flower beetle flowers are loose in shape and there are obvious gaps between the petals. Zhou Min Picture
More than a hundred years have passed since the red-flowered sheep's hoof beetle was first discovered. Cold comes and summer comes, and the sea changes. Only this beautiful flower remains as beautiful as when we first saw it.
(The author Zhou Min, a senior media person and naturalist enthusiast, participated in the compilation of "Understanding Chinese Plants Southwest Volume", personal public account: Plant Addict.)
Editor in charge: Wang Yu
Proofreader: Zhang Yan
