Arisaema cordatum

Genus Arisaema Mart. (Araceae)
ca. 150 spp. distributed mainly in the tropical, subtropical and temperate region in Asia. About 82 spp. can be found in China in which 59 spp. are endemic to China. Most of the Arisaema is found in Yunnan province where 40 spp. are in Yunnan. 4 species are distributed in Hong Kong.

Arisaema has an unique and interesting inflorescence which is like a pitfall-trap system. Arisaema always form a spathe tube and a spadix appendage which probably attracts the pollinators. Pollinators landing on the apadix appendage slide to the bottom of the tube because ablative wax cover both the inner surface of the tube and the surface of the apadix appendage. Pollinators entering male flower are able to escape from the tube at the hole located at the bottom of the spathe tube while pollinators (maybe carrying pollen grains) entering female flower are trapped as no hole is formed at the bottom of the tube. They walk around to find an exit, while depositing pollen grains on the stigma.

Arisaema cordatum is endemic to China and can only be found in Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. It is narrowly distributed in Hong Kong where only two localities, Tai Mo Shan and Sunset Peak, are reported.

Marsdenia lachnostoma

Genus Marsdenia R. Br. (Asclepiadaceae)
ca. 100 spp. distributed in the tropical regions in America, Africa and Asia. 22 spp. are distributed in China while only 1 species, Marsdenia lachnostoma, is found in Hong Kong. Marsdenia are mostly climbers where shrubs or subshrubs are rare.

Marsdenia lachnostoma is a rare species in China and Hong Kong. Its range is so narrow that it is only distributed in Hong Kong within China (It is also found in Cambodia, Laos and Tailand). Because of this, it is listed in the rare and precious plants of Hong Kong and catergorized as critically endangered in the China Red Plant Data Book. Furthermore, it is still not a common species in Hong Kong while it can only be found in a few localities such as Ma On Shan, Tung Lung Chau and High Junk Peak.

The common name of M. lachnostoma is called Hairy-throat Condorvine. It is because the throat of its flowers is covered by a very dense tuft of woolly hairs.

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.