Cleome rutidosperma

Genus Cleome (Capparaceae)
ca. 170 described spp. mainly distributed throughout the tropical and temperate regions. 6 spp. are found in China while most of them are exotic. Only 1 native Cleome species in Hong Kong which is C. viscosa.

Cleome is traditionally belonged to the family Capparaceae. Some recent studies suggested to include Capparaceae into Brassicaceae while some suggested to seperate Cleome to its own family Cleomaceae. Phylogeny of Capparaceae and Brassicaceae is still a hot topic for taxonomists.

Cleome rutidosperma is originated from west tropical Africa and now a common weed spreading in SE Asia, Sumatra and Java. It is a lowland ruderal (A plant growing in waste places) which can be found in the margin of farmlands in Hong Kong. It is a minor weed so far which does not affect agricultural practices.

In Sumatra, people is used to mix the seed of C. rutidosperma with tobacco to enhance it and squeezed juice of leaves is used as eye drop. Young leaves are also edible while they are boiled as food in the past.

Passiflora foetida

Genus Passiflora (Passifloraceae)
ca. 350 spp. mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical America, rarely in Asia and Australia. 19 spp. in China and 2 spp. in Hong Kong.

"foetida" in Passiflora foetida means that the plant is fetid where some gardeners complain about it but some also reported that no odor is noted.

Passiflora foetida is a perennial herbaceous vine, as most of Passiflora species do, that originates from tropical America, but is now a pantropic weed. It is a common weed in many places of the Pacific and Atlantic, where it favors wet areas but also tolerates arid condition. It climbs over low vegetation on roadsides and in other disturbed places. It is now listed in the Global Invasive Species Database due to its invasive nature. Monitoring and management of this toxic plant (Some parts of the plants are toxic if ingested) is recommended in tropical areas where it is present.

It is widely cultivated in the world for medicinal and culinary purposes. The fruits are edible which has a sweet taste. They are readily eaten and dispersed by birds.

Bischofia polycarpa

Genus Bischofia Bl. (Euphorbiaceae)
Consisted of only 2 species distributed from India and Sri Lanka to Indonesia, Australia and Polynesia. Both B. polycarpa and B. javanica occur in China and cultivated in Hong Kong. It is an isolated genus in Euphorbiaceae without any morphologically similar neighbors.

It is commonly believed that simpler structure and development of reproductive organs in seed plants are an indication of evolutionary advancement. A Recent study suggested that B. javanica is more primitive than B. polycarpa because the former has a more complicated inflorescence.

B. polycarpa is not native to Hong Kong while the closest locality is in N. Guangdong. It is a good street tree as it is photophilous, thermophilous, drought-tolerate and resistant to wind. It is an economic timber tree for furnitures and other decorative materials. The fruits are also very attractive to birds.

Platysternon megacephalum

Platysternon megacephalum (Plastysternidae), also known as Big-headed turtle, is a medium-sized terrapin distributed in SE Asia. It mainly inhabits hill and mountain streams with fast-flowing water. It is good at climbing using its strong claws and long, tough tail. It is primarily nocturnal but can also be found during daytime on rainy days.

Big-headed turtle is carnivorous which presumably feeds on fish, frogs and invertebrates that can be found in the streams. Breeding habits in the wild are largely unknown although it is a very well-known pet species worldwide.

It is originally a common species in South East Asia including South China and Hong Kong. But it is heavily caught and sold in the pet and food markets recently which are the major threats to the species. It has been listed as endangered in the IUCN redlist since 2000. The localities of the species should be enclosed in order to cease the harvesting of the wild individuals.

Kaloula pulchra pulchra

Asian Painted Frog, Kaloula pulchra pulchra, is a common species ranged from much of South East Asia including Hong Kong. It is quite adaptable which is able to colonise the urban area and agricultural fields successfully while it is presumably originally a wetland/riverbank/forest edge species. It breeds in seasonal rain pools or ponds.

Asian Painted Frog acts like an ambush predator preying mainly on insects. It is able to expand itself when threatened and to secrete toxic substances from its body surface. It is also a tough species which survives in dry condition by burying itself in the ground and waiting for rain.

It is collected for consumption and pet trade (You can easily find a lot of caresheets for this speces in the internet) in many places in South East Asia but the threats to the species are not serious at this moment. It is listed as least concern in the 2007 IUCN redlist.

Gardenia jasminoides var. jasminoides

Genus Gardenia Ellis (Rubiaceae)
ca. 250 species distributed in the tropics and subtropics; 5 spp. and 1 variety in China including 1 native sp. in Hong Kong.

Gardenia jasminoides is widely cultivated in the tropics and subtropics due to its ornamental and commercial uses. One of its uses is that the pulp of the fruits is used for coloring food yellow such as boiled beans, fish eggs, hot cakes, ices and noodles etc. Several parts of G. jasminoides are also used medicinally including roots, leaves and fruits.

It is a common and beautiful plant species in Hong Kong flowering from March to August.

Sphenomorphus indicus

Sphenomorphus indicus and S. incognitus both occur in Hong Kong. They are very similar in appearance that S. incognitus collected in the past had been misidentified as S. indicus. There is only one clear-cut difference between the two species which is the presence of a patch of enlarged scales at the back of the thigh in S. incognitus. It seems that there is some different in habitat preference while S. incognitus prefers waterside but S. indicus is often encountered along forest paths.

S. indicus is distributed widely in South-east Asia including S. China, Bhutan, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, India and west Malaysia.