Rhodoleia championii seed
LATIN NAME: Rhodoleia championii
COMMON NAME: Hong Kong Rose
The Hong Kong rose is a handsome, evergreen shrub or small tree of the warm gardens, and its big, rosy-red, pendant heads of the many tubular flowers have made it one of the most striking of the winter-flowering plants. It grows as an evergreen shrub or a small tree, reaching up to ten metres or a little more, with the upright, branching trunk bearing the leathery, glossy, dark-green leaves and, in the late winter and the early spring, the big, rounded, rosy-red heads of the many small, tubular flowers, hanging in neat clusters below the leaves, followed by the small, woody capsules of the fine seeds. It is a species of the flowering tree in the witch-hazel family, and it is native to the southern China and the Hong Kong, while it is grown in the warm gardens of the world, and it is known as the Hong Kong rose.
The Hong Kong rose belongs to the witch-hazel family, Hamamelidaceae, and it is a species of the evergreen tree, native to the southern China, while it is grown for its striking, winter bloom, and it is known as the Hong Kong rose. It is prized for its glossy, evergreen foliage and its big, rosy-red, pendant heads of the flowers.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The Hong Kong rose has a real and distinguished place in the research. It has been studied in the horticulture, since its big, rosy-red, pendant heads of the flowers have made it a valued winter-flowering tree of the warm garden, and researchers have examined its growth, its flowering and its cultivation, while its striking winter bloom has drawn attention in the international horticultural press as a tree of the warm garden. The plant has also been studied in the botany and the ecology, since it is a native of the woodlands of the southern China, and its relationships, its distribution and its role in the forest have been examined, while the ecology of the witch-hazel family in the region has been of continuing interest, and the study of the wild trees has been of value to the gardeners. The species has also been studied in the chemistry of the natural products, since the leaves and the bark of the family contain a range of the compounds, and researchers have examined these constituents, while the chemistry of the family has been of continuing interest, and the plant is best appreciated as a subject of study and of the garden rather than a casual remedy. For a tree of such beauty, the Hong Kong rose has a rich and continuing record of study.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the Hong Kong rose is a generous tree of the garden. Its big, rosy-red heads of the tubular flowers feed the birds and the insects of the early year, and its glossy, evergreen crown gives a fine cover and a shelter through the whole of the year.
Its economic value is real. The Hong Kong rose is prized for its striking, winter bloom and its glossy, evergreen foliage, and its beauty has drawn attention in the international horticultural press as a tree of the warm garden, while its late-winter flowering has made it a valued ornamental of the parks and the gardens. For a grower, the Hong Kong rose is a rewarding and elegant tree, and for a gardener it brings a big, rosy-red bloom to the winter garden. The seeds are easy to start — sow them fresh in a pot of moist, free-draining compost, keep them gently watered in a sheltered spot, and they’ll be sprouting steadily, growing on into a glossy, evergreen, rosy-flowered tree.
Rhodoleia Championii
Also known as the Hong Kong Rose
This here is an absolutely gorgeous flower we have stumbled upon. This plant occurs naturally in China (Guangdong Province and Hong Kong), Bhutan, Vietnam and Nepal. Rare in cultivation, this shrub/tree will be covered in these enchanting bright crimson pink ‘rose like’ blooms. Despite its common name ‘rose’, it does not have thorns. It is small to medium size ordinarily to about 15-20m tall, but has been known to grow twice this height.
It is said to withstand temperatures into the teens and possibly lower, though it grows well where the summers are hot and will bloom during the cool parts of the year. It prefers well drained, but moist soil. It is bird-pollinated.
The flowers do resemble Rhododendron, but they are not related at all. They are in fact a member of the Hamamelidaceae, surprisingly the Witch Hazel family.
*As of 2010 the Chinese University of Hong Kong listed this species on the top 25 rare and protected species of plant.