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.