Dogbanes, Madders & Allies - Gentianales
Native / Non-native
Dogbane Family - Apocynaceae
Desert Rose - Adenium obesum Purple Allamanda - Allamanda blanchettii Allamanda - Allamanda cathartica Bush Allamanda - Allamanda schottii Bead Vine - Alyxia sinensis Asian Cable Creeper - Anodendron affine Butterfly Weed - Asclepias curavassica Easter Lily Vine - Beaumontia grandiflora Yellow Oleander - Cascabela thevetia Madagascar Periwinkle - Catharanthus roseus Sea Mango - Cerbera manghas Painted Graphistemma - Cynanchum graphistemmatoides Pocketfruit - Gomphocarpus physocarpus Oblong Gymnanthera - Gymnanthera oblonga Australian Cow Plant - Gymnema sylvestre Wax Plant - Hoya carnosa Pointed Mountain Orange - Melodinus fusiformis Mountain Orange - Melodinus suaveolens Common Oleander - Nerium oleander Common Devil Pepper - Rauvolfia verticillata Rocky Stream Plant - Pentasachme caudata White Frangipani - Plumeria obtusa Red Frangipani - Plumeria rubra Goat Horns - Strophanthus divaricatus White Stephanotis - Stephanotis mucronata Crepe Jasmine - Tabernaemontana divaricata Wight's Toxocarpus - Toxocarpus wightianus Sour Creeper - Urceola rosea Ovate Tylophora - Vincetoxicum hirsutum |
Logania Family - Gelsemiaceae
Heartbreak Grass - Gelsemium elegans Gentian Family - Gentianaceae Fagraea - Fagraea ceilanica South China Gentian - Gentiana loureiroi Logania Family - Loganiaceae Narrow-Flowered Poison-Nut - Strychnos angustiflora Madder Family - Rubiaceae Chinese Button Bush - Adina pilulifera Cochin-china Randia - Aidia cochinchinensis White-Fruited Randia - Alleizettella leucocarpa Panama Rose - Arachnothryx leucophylla Common Tricalysia - Diplospora dubia Cape Jasmine - Gardenia jasminoides Herbaceous Geophila - Geophila repens Scarlet Bush - Hamelia patens Square Bone-Wort - Hedyotis acutangula Shiuying's Hedyotis - Hedyotis shiuyingiae Button Head - Hedyotis uncinella Chinese Ixora - Ixora chinensis Small-Leaved Lasianthus - Lasianthus attenuatus Chinese Lasianthus - Lasianthus chinensis Hairy Mitracarpus - Mitracarpus hirta |
Little-Leaved Indian Mulberry - Morinda parvifolia
Common Indian mulberry - Morinda umbellata Erose Mussaenda - Mussaenda erosa Pink Red-Leaved Mussaenda - Mussaenda erythrophylla var. Rose Buddha's Lamp - Mussaenda pubescens White-Flowered Buddha's Lamp - Mussaenda pubescens var. Alba Pink Bone-Wort - Oldenlandia consanguinea White Ox Creeper - Oldenlandia hedyotidea Logania Hedyotis - Oldenlandia loganioides Japanese Ophiorrhiza - Ophiorrhiza japonica Dwarf Ophiorrhiza - Ophiorrhiza pumila Chinese Fevervine - Paederia foetida Hong Kong Pavetta - Pavetta hongkongensis Egyptian Star-Cluster - Pentas lanceolata Wild Coffee - Psychotria asiatica Creeping Psychotria - Psychotria serpens Ceylon Boxwood - Psydrax dicoccos Mexican Clover - Richardia scabra Snow of June - Serissa japonica Woodland False Buttonweed - Spermacoce remota White-Flowered Tarenna - Tarenna mollissima |
Dogbane Family - Apocynaceae
Desert Rose 天寶花 Adenium obesum
30-80 cm tall. Native to the Sahel regions south of the Sahara, and also the Arabian Peninsula.
Purple Allamanda 紫花黃蟬 Allamanda blanchetii
A less common, purple version of the common yellow allamanda. Also flowering in the summer in parks and gardens. Native to Brazil.
Allamanda 軟枝黃蟬 Allamanda cathartica
Flowering during the summer this species of allamanda is grown in parks and gardens. The flowers are large, five-petalled and showy. It is a native of Brazil.
Bush Allamanda 黃蟬 Allamanda schottii
A version of the allamanda plant with smaller, more tubular, yellow flowers. This type is sometimes known as 'small allamanda'. Native to Brazil.
Bead Vine 中國念珠藤 Alyxia sinensis
Also called 'Rosary Vine', the leaves are less than one inch long and the flowers are very small.
Asian Cable Creeper 鱔藤 Anodendron affine
Lianas up to 10 metres in length. Flowers have a strong orange blossom scent.
Butterfly Weed 馬利筋 Asclepias curassavica
Native to the American tropics, it's an escapee from parks and gardens in some areas of Hong Kong.
Easter Lily Vine 清明花 Beaumontia grandiflora
Woody, robust vine, flowering around Easter. Native to SE Asia, E India and S China.
Yellow Oleander 黃花夾竹桃 Cascabela thevetia
This is a small tree, often presenting as a tall shrub, native to the Americas grown as an ornamental in Hong Kong. It is an evergreen plant producing bright yellow flowers in November, followed by round green fruits that ripen to black. This plant is poisonous to humans but the fruit is edible for red-whiskered bulbuls.
Madagascar Periwinkle 長春花 Catharanthus roseus
Native to Madagascar it is also called Cape Periwinkle, Rose Periwinkle and Old Maid. It grows in the wild in Hong Kong especially by sandy coastlines. It can be extremely toxic if consumed by humans, but several alkaloids produced by this plant are used in the treatment of cancer.
Sea Mango 海杧果 Cerbera manghas
Growing by sandy beaches this tree is poisonous in all its parts, even inhaled wood smoke can kill. It flowers from May to November. Do not touch or eat this tree. The Latin name comes from Cerberus, the multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the underworld. It is also known as the Suicide Tree.
Pocketfruit 汽球花 Gomphocarpus physocarpus (was Asclepias fruticosa)
Painted Graphistemma 孔蛛屬 Cynanchum graphistemmatoides
Lianas to 8 metres.
Oblong Gymnanthera 海島藤 Gymnanthera oblonga
Lianas to 2 metres.
Australian Cow Plant, Miracle Fruit 匙羹藤 Gymnema sylvestre
Woody vine, up to 4 metres long.
Wax Plant 球蘭 Hoya carnosa
Epiphytic climbing shrub.
Pointed Mountain Orange 尖山橙 Melodinus fusiformis
Less common than Mountain Orange (see below), the main difference seems to be that the fruit is pointed in M. fusiformis, whereas it is round in M. suaveolens. The flowers in M. fusiformis seem larger than M. suaveolens to me.
Mountain Orange 山橙 Melodinus suaveolens
A tall, woody climber with simple, opposite leaves. All parts of the plant contain a milky latex which may cause skin irritation. The flowers are sweetly scented. The fruit is a large orange-coloured globular fruit used in Chinese medicine for its antibiotic properties. Another source says that the fruits are poisonous to humans but not so for monkeys. It flowers from May to November.
Common Oleander 夾竹桃 Nerium oleander
Native to a large swathe of Eurasia from the Mediterranean to Yunnan province in SW China. Widely acknowledged as a killer of both humans and cattle. Although pretty it is advised not to consume or sleep on oleander. Like most plants in this family it is poisonous.
Rocky Stream Plant 石蘿藦 Pentasachme caudata
Found in rock crevices by streams, flowers in April.
Common Devil Pepper 蘿芙木 Rauvolfia verticillata
Upright shrub, 2-3m high.
White Frangipani 鈍葉雞蛋花 Plumeria obtusa
Native to the Americas some Hong Kong parks harbour frangipani trees. They flower in the summer heat and lose their leaves and flowers in the winter. This is the national flower of Laos.
Red Frangipani 紅雞蛋花 Plumeria rubra
White Stephanotis 黑鰻藤 Stephanotis mucronata
Goat Horns 羊角拗 Strophanthus divaricatus
Woody vine, 1.5 to 4 metres long. The flowers look like they have little teeth in the centre. Poisonous.
Crepe Jasmine 狗牙花 Tabernaemontana divaricata
Flowering May-November.
Wight's Toxocarpus 弓果藤 Toxocarpus wightianus
Slender liana, up to 8 metres. Flowering from June to August in the heat of the summer.
Sour Creeper 酸葉膠藤 Urceola rosea
Lianas up to 20 metres.
Ovate Tylophora or Hairy Swallow-Wort 娃兒藤 Vincetoxicum hirsutum
Logania Family - Gelsemiaceae
Heartbreak Grass 鈎吻 Gelsemium elegans
This climber is highly toxic and can kill. Also known as 'Many-flowered Gardneria' it is a twining vine native to China and SE Asia. Chewing three leaves will usually be fatal to humans. Honey bees are sometimes poisoned by visiting the flowers. Flowers in November and December.
Gentian Family - Gentianaceae
Fagraea 灰莉 Fagraea ceilanica
Shrubs or trees to 15 metres tall.
South China Gentian 華南龍膽 Gentiana loureiroi
Flowering in March-April. Found in the northern New Territories and Tai Mo Shan.
Logania Family - Loganiaceae
Narrow-Flowered Poison Nut 狹花馬錢 Strychnos angustiflora
Fruiting in the autumn the small orange fruits resemble small oranges on the outside, but are toxic to humans. According to some sources the macaques were introduced to the Kowloon Reservoir area in order to eat these fruits (non-toxic to macaques) in order to stop them contaminating the water supply. There's more than one species of strychnos present in Hong Kong - the flowers are used to tell them apart.
Madder Family - Rubiaceae
Cochin-china Randia 茜樹 Aidia cochinchinensis
Shrubs or trees, 2-15 metres high.
Chinese Buttonbush 水團花 Adina pilulifera
A native evergreen shrub, flowering in the summer, often found in ravines and near mountain streams. The spherical inflorescences appear in the summer. Evergreen shrubs or small trees, up to 5 metres tall.
White-Fruited Randia 白果香楠 Alleizettella leucocarpa
Prickly shrubs, 1-3 metres high. Flowering in the summer.
Panama Rose 銀葉郎德木 Arachnothryx leucophylla
Originally from Mexico, a common park plant.
Common Tricalysia 三萼木 Diplospora dubia
Shrubs or trees, 1 to 12 metres high. Flowering in February, fruiting the following autumn.
Cape Jasmine 梔子 Gardenia jasminoides
Cape Jasmine is a shrub of 1 to 2 metres. The fragrant flowers appear in May. The stamens alternate with the petals. The fruit is yellow to orange, crowned by the calyx lobes and ribbed outside. This plant grows wild in Hong Kong and is a native of East Asia.
Herbaceous Geophila 愛地草 Geophila repens
Perennial, slender, creeping herbs.
Scarlet Bush 長隔木 Hamelia patens
Native to the American tropics and subtropics.
Square Bone-wort 方骨草 Hedyotis acutangula
The stems are square in cross-section.
Shiuying's Hedyotis 秀英耳草 Hedyotis shiuyingiae
Button Head 長節耳草 Hedyotis uncinella
Native to Hong Kong, the buttonhead flowers in the summer. Perennial herbs up to 70cm tall.
Chinese Ixora 龍船花 Ixora chinensis
Used ornamentally in parks, this small shrub flowers from June to November. Native to Hong Kong and tropical Asia it is often used ornamentally in parks and gardens.
Small-Leaved Lasianthus 斜基粗葉木 Lasianthus attenuatus
Shrubs, usually 1-2 metres high.
Chinese Lasianthus 粗葉木 Lasianthus chinensis
Shrubs, usually 2-4 metres high.
Hairy Mitracarpus 蓋裂果 Mitracarpus hirtus
Perennial herb, up to 80cm high.
Little-Leaved Indian Mulberry 雞眼藤 Morinda parvifolia
Climbing or winding vine.
Common Indian mulberry 羊角藤 Morinda umbellata
Longer leaves, a more sprawling habit and less common than Morinda parvifolia above.
Erose Mussaenda 野白紙扇 Mussaenda erosa
Less common than Mussaenda pubescens (below), but not easily distinguished. M. erosa is glabrous on the stem and under the leaves, whereas M. pubescens has small hairs. I'm also convinced that the flowers are lemon yellow for M. erosa and egg-yolk yellow for M. pubescens, but I haven't found any sources to back this up.
Pink Red-Leaved Mussaenda 紅葉金花 Mussaenda ethrophylla var. Rosea
Buddha's Lamp (Splash of White) 玉葉金花 Mussaenda pubescens
A climbing shrub with yellow flowers , the outer sepals of which become greatly expanded to form a white leaf-like structure, hence the name Buddha's lamp. This plant flowers in April and May. It is part of the coffee family and is used in Chinese traditional medicine as a diuretic, antichloristic and antipyretic agent (ref.).
White-Flowered Buddha's Lamp 白花玉葉金花 Mussaenda pubescens var. alba
Pink Bone-wort 擬金草 Oldenlandia consanguinea
White Ox Creeper 牛白藤 Oldenlandia hedyotidea
Found on hill slopes near villages and in thickets. Flowers around September. As a tea the leaves are used in Chinese medicine against heat stroke.
Logania Hedyotis 粵港耳草 Oldenlandia loganioides
Grows at altitude in the rhododendron forests of Ma On Shan.
Japanese Ophiorrhiza 日本蛇根草 Ophiorrhiza japonica
Dwarf Ophiorrhiza 短小蛇根草 Ophiorrhiza pumila
A small herb of the forest floor.
Chinese Fevervine 雞矢藤 Paederia foetida
Woody vine, 3-5 metres long.
Hong Kong Pavetta 香港大沙葉 Pavetta hongkongensis
A small tree, native to Hong Kong, and also found outside the borders of the territory in nearby Guangdong. The small white flowers resemble stars in the night sky with their twinkling beams of light. Very noticeable flowering in native woodlands in June. 1-4 metres tall.
Egyptian Star-Cluster 五星花 Pentas lanceolata
Wild Coffee 九節 Psychotria asiatica
The colourful berries appear in the autumn. Also known as psychotria rubra. The psychotria genus of plants are understory shrubs in tropical forests. Many of the psychotria species produce a psychedelic compound.
Creeping Psychotria 蔓九節 Psychotria serpens
Native to Hong Kong the white fruits appear from August to December. It's a woody vine, climbing on trees and rocks. Its range is southern China. The whole plant is used in Chinese medicine to treat rheumatism, fractures and venomous snake bites.
Ceylon Boxwood 魚骨木 Psydrax dicoccos
Shrubs or small trees, 10-15 metres high. Widely distributed in established forests in Hong Kong.
Mexican Clover 墨苜蓿 Richardia scabra
Annual creeping (nearly upright) herbs. Up to 80cm in length.
Snow of June 六月雪 Serissa japonica
Woodland False Buttonweed 光葉豐花草 Spermacoce remota
Originally from the Americas, this is now a common weed in many places in East Asia.
White-Flowered Tarenna 白花苦燈籠 Tarenna mollissima
Shrubs or small trees, 1-6 metres high. Flowering in July.