The remarkable story of how Hong Kong’s loneliest tree could save a species, via Scotland

The tree was remarkable in quality rather than appearance, so could have been easily missed by the average hiker

And yet it could change the fate of a species in the city, offering hope that it could be revitalised

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A tree in Hong Kong has provided hope for the entire species locally. Photo: SCMP composite

Published: 9:00am, 12 Sep 2022

Decades ago, sitting alone on a slope of Hong Kong’s highest peak, stood a remarkable tree.

The simple conifer, which would have been passed without a second thought, is a gem because it was a female. Today, it has become a key that unlocked an attempt to resurrect a species of tree that had nearly gone extinct in the city.

The tree belonged to a species called catkin-yew, or Amentotaxus argotaenia, a “near threatened” species that is found across southern China. As a whole, the future of the species is bleak, as it reproduces infrequently and the trees themselves tend to be far apart from each other, according to the American Conifer Society.

In Hong Kong today, the tree species faces a unique problem: the known trees on Tai Mo Shan are male.

“Most, if not all of the remaining trees of Amentotaxus argotaenia in Hong Kong show signs of having been cut down in the past. It is a very slow growing species with durable timber and would have been prized for that,” said Craig Williams, the head of horticulture at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in Hong Kong.

“The drastic cutting would have left the trees open to infection, which is likely the cause of the decline in health in a number of the remaining individuals.”