Rare-tree haven yields up secrets
It once bloomed in Hong Kong and is closely related to the naming of the city, but is now a protected species that is found only in a few places, including Chinese University.
Incense trees, or Aquilaria sinensis, were widely planted across the city more than a century ago, their scented wood used for the manufacture of joss sticks.
But most have been cut down because of their commercial value - the tree is also used in traditional Chinese medicine - and only a few remain in Sai Kung and at the university's Sha Tin campus.
'It was rumoured that when the British took over Hong Kong in 1842, the very first smell that greeted the troops was the smell from incense trees,' George Jor Chi-keung, working group convener of the university's tree project, said. 'That explained why the then fishing village was called Hong Kong, which literally means fragrant harbour.'
The incense trees are among 192 species of trees and plants - 25 of them protected - that cover more than three-quarters of the 134-hectare campus. The university has recently launched an online database with maps to introduce the flora to the public.
Many interesting stories lay behind the trees and plants, Jor said.
There is the lone ashoka tree, or Saraca dives, its bright orange flowers overlooking Lake Ad Excellentiam on the Chung Chi Campus. Known as the 'no-worry tree' in Chinese, it was planted by university alumnus Dr Yung Kung-hing in 1997 at a time when worries about the handover were prompting many Hongkongers to seek residency elsewhere. Yung's act sought to encourage fellow alumni not to worry about the future.
Jor said it was one of the very few ashokas in the city, where it has difficulty growing because of the sub-tropical climate and different soil from its native India, where it is revered as sacred.
A myth holds that Sakyamuni, the spiritual teacher of ancient India who founded Buddhism, was born under an ashoka.
The new database 'contains photos that show the changes of the trees through the four seasons', Jor said. The university plans to put scientific labels on 100 of the species. The labels, readable with a smartphone, will enable visitors to access the database. Jor hopes it will raise awareness of tree protection.
