Legumes & Milkworts - Fabales
Native / Non-native
Legumes - Fabaceae
Rosary Pea - Abrus precatorius Ear-Leaved Acacia - Acacia auriculiformis Taiwan Acacia - Acacia confusa Big-Leaved Acacia - Acacia mangium Sensitive Joint-Vetch - Aeschynomene indica Lebbeck's Tree - Albizia lebbeck Alyce Clover - Alysicarpus vaginalis Wild Peanut - Arachis duranensis Monkey-Pod - Archidendron clypearia Ape's Earrings - Archidendron lucidum Hong Kong Orchid Tree - Bauhinia x blakeana Purple Camel's Foot Tree - Bauhinia purpurea Camel's Foot Tree - Bauhinia variegata White Bauhinia - Bauhinia variegata var. candida Wood Gossip Caesalpinia - Caesalpinia crista Parado Spride - Caesalpinia pulcherrima Spring Caesalpinia - Caesalpinia vernalis Red Powder Puff - Calliandra haematocephala Surinam Powder Puff - Calliandra surinamensis Sea Sword Bean - Canavalia maritima Golden Shower - Cassia fistula |
Pink and White Shower - Cassia nodosa
Wild Sensitive Plant - Chamaecrista leschenaultiana Camel's Foot - Cheniella corymbosa Climbing Bauhinia - Cheniella glauca Butterfly Pea - Clitoria ternatea Rattlebox - Crotalaria sp. Bentham's Rosewood - Dalbergia benthamii Flame Tree - Delonix regia Derris - Derris trifoliata False Groundnut - Desmodium heterocarpon Three-Flowered Beggarweed - Desmodium triflorum Giant Bean - Entada phaseoloides Chinese Eriosema - Eriosema chinense Ivory Coral Tree - Erythrina speciosa Nickernut - Guilandina bonduc Hairy Indigo - Indigofera hirsuta White Popinac - Leucaena leucocephala Common Bowringia - Leucomphalos callicarpus Beautiful Lespedeza - Lespedeza thunbergii Purple-Bean - Macroptilium atropurpureum Wild Bean - Millettia pinnata |
Glittering-Leaved Millettia - Millettia nitida
Small-Pod Mimosa - Mimosa bimucronata Mimosa - Mimosa pudica Birdwood's Mucuna - Mucuna birdwoodiana Hong Kong Mucuna - Mucuna championii Showy Millettia - Nanhaia speciosa Emarginate-Leaved Ormosia - Ormosia emarginata Hairy-Fruited Ormosia - Ormosia pachycarpa Soft-Fruited Ormosia - Ormosia semicastrata Champion's Bauhinia - Phanera championii Pretty Dragon's Tongue - Phyllodium pulchellum Kudzu Vine - Pueraria montana var. lobata Ashok - Saraca indica Winged Cassia - Senna alata Sunshine Tree - Senna sp. Dhaincha - Sesbania cannabina Trefle Gros - Tadehagi triquetrum Cat's Tail Bean - Uraria crinita Milkworts - Polygalaceae Frivolous Milkwort - Polygala fallax Hong Kong Milkwort - Polygala hongkongensis Salomonia - Salomonia cantoniensis |
Legumes - Fabaceae
Rosary Pea 相思子 Abrus precatorius
This climber produces bright red seeds from October to December. It is native to Hong Kong. The seeds are highly toxic if chewed and swallowed. (ref.)
Ear-Leaved Acacia 耳果相思 Acacia auriculiformis
An Australian tree growing ornamentally and also in the wild in Hong Kong. The flowers are small and yellow and the leaves are crescent or ear-shaped.
Taiwan Acacia 台灣相思 Acacia confusa
This tree, native to SE Asia is widespread in Hong Kong. It produces small yellow flowers in the spring. It has small, pointed leaves like a eucalyptus in shape and grows to around 15 metres in height.
Big-Leaved Acacia 大葉相思 Acacia mangium
Sensitive Joint-Vetch 合萌 Aeschynomene indica
Lebbeck's Tree 大葉合歡 Albizia lebbeck
Native to SE Asia and N Australia this large tree produces long seed pods and has a distinctive flaky bark. The leaves are bi-pinnate. The flowers are creamy yellow and fluffy.
Alyce Clover 鏈莢豆 Alysicarpus vaginalis
Wild Peanut 蔓花生 Arachis duranensis
Monkey-Pod 猴耳環 Archidendron clypearia
A native shrub or small tree, often found in the understory of woodland. Recognisable by its distinctive, rectangular leaf shape.
Ape's Earrings 亮葉猴耳環 Archidendron lucidum
Hong Kong Orchid Tree 香港蘭 Bauhinia x blakeana
The flower appearing on the flag of the Hong Kong SAR is the flower of the orchid tree, Bauhinia x blakeana. It and other orchid tree varieties are widely planted around Hong Kong for ornamental purposes and also occur in the countryside. Flowers appear in the winter. Bauhinia x blakeana has deeper coloured flowers than Bauhinia variegata. It was chosen as Hong Kong's flower in 1965.
Purple Camel's Foot Tree 紅花羊蹄甲 Bauhinia purpurea
The Bauhinia purpurea has thinner petals than the other species of orchid tree in Hong Kong. The petals are often wrinkled.
Camel's Foot Tree 宮粉羊蹄甲 Bauhinia variegata
Named after the shape of the leaves, this variety of orchid tree has lighter and wider petals than the related Bauhinia purpurea. A white-flowered variety also exists. See 'Hong Kong Orchid Tree" for the flower of Hong Kong: Bauhinia blakeana.
White Bauhinia 白花洋紫荊 Bauhinia variegata var. Candida
Wood Gossip Caesalpinia 華南雲實 Caesalpinia crista
A scrambling thorny vine that blooms profusely in March.
Parado Spride / Barbados Pride 洋金鳳 Caesalpinia pulcherrima
The Pride of Barbados (or Barbados Pride) is generally known as Parado Spride in Hong Kong. I presume there was a copying error at some point, and the new name of 'Parado Spride' got copied as the English name, even the Hong Kong Herbarium lists it as such. Also known as Dwarf Poinciana.
Spring Caesalpinia 春雲實 Caesalpinia vernalis
Red Powder Puff 朱纓花 Calliandra haematocephala
A flowering plant in the pea family native to tropical regions of the Americas. The petals of the flower are in fact the stamens, the petals being almost absent. There is also a white version of this plant calliandra haematocephala var. alba.
Surinam Powderpuff 小朱纓花 Calliandra surinamensis
Named after Surinam in South America this pink powderpuff plant flowers all year round.
Sea Sword Bean 海刀豆 Canavalia rosea
Native Hong Kong plant, growing near the coast. Flowers from June to October.
Golden Shower 臘腸樹 Cassia fistula
A tree grown ornamentally in urban areas, it flowers in July in Hong Kong with the yellow flowers in long, hanging racemes. It's native to Sri Lanka and India. The fruit is a long, black pod. This is a deciduous tree.
Pink and White Shower 節果決明 Cassia nodosa
A deciduous tree native to Malaysia, Burma and South China. Flowers appear in spring, with a sweet scent.
Wild Sensitive Plant 短葉決明 Chamaecrista leschenaultiana
Camel's Foot 首冠藤 Cheniella corymbosa
Red flower buds, wider petals than Cheniella glauca.
Climbing Bauhinia 粉葉羊蹄甲 Cheniella glauca
Greenish-brown flower buds, thinner petals than Cheniella corymbosa.
Butterfly Pea 蝶豆 Clitoria ternatea
Native to India, flowering in the summer.
Rattlebox 響鈴豆 Crotalaria sp.
Bentham's Rosewood 兩廣黃檀 Dalbergia benthamii
Flame Tree 鳳凰木 Delonix regia
Also known as 'Flame of the Forest' this tree is native to Madagascar. It is widely planted in Hong Kong's parks. It blooms with vivid red blossom in May and June.
Derris 魚藤 Derris trifoliata
False Groundnut 假地豆 Desmodium heterocarpon var. strigosum
Three-Flowered Beggarweed 三點金 Desmodium triflorum
Giant Bean 榼藤 Entada phaseoloides
Chinese Eriosema 雞頭薯 Eriosema chinense
Ivory Coral Tree 象牙花 Erythrina speciosa
Nickernut 刺果蘇木 Guilandina bonduc
A beach climber. The stems are covered in spines, it's a vine that grows to 6m and scrambles over other vegetation. It has a pan-tropical distribution.
Hairy Indigo 硬毛木藍 Indigofera hirsuta
White Popinac 銀合歡 Leucaena leucocephala
Also called 'river tamarind' and 'white lead tree' this tree is native to Mexico.
Common Bowringia 藤槐 Leucomphalos callicarpus
Beautiful Lespedeza 美麗胡枝子 Lespedeza thunbergii
Purple-Bean 紫花大翼豆 Macroptilium atropurpureum
Small-Pod Mimosa 光莢含羞草 Mimosa bimucronata
Mimosa 含羞草 Mimosa pudica
Native to South and Central America, this species is now a pan-tropical weed. Also known as the 'Sensitive Plant' the leaves react to being touched by folding in on themselves. The stems are thorny.
Glittering-Leaved Millettia 亮葉崖豆藤 Millettia nitida
Flowering from May to September, this leguminous plant has red sap, purple butterfly-like flowers and shiny green leaves.
Wild Bean 水黃皮 Millettia pinnata
Also known as an Indian Beech Tree this tree is native to Hong Kong.
Birdwood's Mucuna 白花油麻藤 Mucuna birdwoodiana
A wild vine, native to Hong Kong, producing cascades of green-white flowers in the humid month of March.
Hong Kong Mucuna 港油麻藤 Mucuna championii
Hong Kong Mucuna is probably extinct - this is likely to be Hainan Mucuna.
Hainan Mucuna 海南黧豆 Mucuna hainanensis
Showy Millettia 美麗崖豆藤 Nanhaia speciosa
Tropical Kudzu 三裂葉野葛 Neustanthus phaseoloides
Emarginate-Leaved Ormosia 凹葉紅豆 Ormosia emarginata
A small deciduous tree, conspicuous when fruiting in autumn and winter. The seed pods are hard with several cells inside containing bright, red seeds.
Hairy-Fruited Ormosia 茸莢紅豆 Ormosia pachycarpa
Soft-Fruited Ormosia 軟莢紅豆 Ormosia semicastrata
Similar to the emarginate-leaved ormosia, but the seed pods are smaller, rounded and do not have separate cells inside.
Champion's Bauhinia 缺葉藤 Phanera championii
Pretty Dragon's Tongue 排錢草 Phyllodium pulchellum
A small, perennial undershrub. The Chinese name for this plant means 'rows of coins'.
Kudzu Vine 葛 Pueraria montana var. lobata
Ashok 無憂樹 Saraca indica
Winged Cassia 翅莢決明 Senna alata
Originally from the tropical Americas it is a common addition to parks as well as appearing to have escaped into the wild in places like Pui O.
Sunshine Tree 黃槐決明 Senna surattensis/bicapsularis
This tree flowers profusely in summer and autumn. It can grow up to 6 metres high. Other common names for this tree include 'Scrambled Eggs' and 'Glossy Shower'.