We are very lucky at Simao Teachers' College to be surrounded by
a fabulous assortment of exotic (as far as we're concerned!) plant life. The
campus grounds are a lovely place to hang out and are tended by a team of
hard-working gardeners who keep them weeded, watered, leaf-swept and litter-free. The more
interesting trees and flowers come complete with name-cards in Chinese and Latin.
(L) Campus main drive, looking to Front Gate; (R) Campus pond and
rose-garden, English Department on left
The left-hand photo was taken from the corridor outside Lesley's Grade III
classrooms.
(L) Canna Lily [Canna flava]; (R) Golden
Trumpet Vine [Allamanda cathartica]
The bright red summer-flowering Canna Lily is also known as Indian Shot, and its
Chinese name is Huang Hua Mei Ren Jiao. Golden Trumpet Vine is originally from
the humid riverbanks of Surinam where its roots are used as a traditional
medicine for the treatment of jaundice and malaria. It is however poisonous and
highly cathartic.
(L) Bird of Paradise Flower [Strelitzia reginae]; (R)
Red Powder Puff
[Calliandra haematocephela]
The Bird of Paradise (or Crane) Flower is well named. It is a native of South
Africa. The Red Powder Puff is one of Freda and Edie's favourites, also known as
the Blood Red Tassel Flower, or the 'Tom Weir Bobble'! This evergreen shrub can
be found in it's native environment from Nicaragua to Equador.
(L) Bougainvillaea [Bougainvillaea spectabilis]; (C) Bougainvillaea flowers;
(R) Caribbean Copper Plant
Bougainvillaea is common in India and the rest of south Asia. It is also known
as Paper Flower.
The shady walkway which
leads from the campus pond through the rose-garden to the canteen is home to two
varieties of spreading vine (Top). The local creeper Chinese Wisteria [Wisteria sinensis]
produces a short-lived display of fragrant and beautiful lilac flowers at the beginning of
the year (L). Later in the summer the spectacular Brazilian Flame Vine [Pyrostegia ignea]
bursts into bloom (C and R).
(L) Alexander Palm [Archontophoenix alexandrae]; (C) Alexander Palm fruit;
(R) Canary Isles Palm [Phoenix Tenuis)
The Alexander Palm, also known as the King Palm, is a tall tree, often seen
outside the college planted at the roadside. It originates from Australia, and
is commonly cultivated.
Three pictures of Golden Cane Palm [Chrysalidocarpus
lutescens]
This is a very commonly cultivated palm from Madagascar. It has a number of
synonyms: Bamboo Palm, Areca Palm, Madagascar Palm, Yellow Butterfly Palm,
Golden Fruited Palm.
(L)
Clumping Fishtail
Palm [Caryota mitis]; [LC] Clumping Fishtail Palm leaf detail; [RC] Clumping Fishtail
Palm fruit; [R] mature Fishtail Palm
The Fishtail Palm originates in Indonesia. Younger
specimens are quite bushy, but the mature specimen pictured is the tallest palm
on the campus. This palm is well-named - its leaves are remarkably
fishtail-shaped!
Chinese Fan Palm [Livistona chinensis]
The local Fan Palm really does have fan-shaped foliage, and is a favourite home
of some enormous spiders.
(L) African Oil Palm [Elaeus guineensis]; (C) detail;
(R) fruit
This tree produces palm oil and palm kernel (the oil-rich nut in the centre of
the fruit) oil. Malaysia and Indonesia are the world's main producers of this
product.
(L) Ponytail Palm [Nolina recurvata]; (C) Ponytail Palm detail;
(R) Triandra Palm [Areca triandra]
The Ponytail Palm, also known as the Bottle Palm, is a native of Central Mexico
- an arid region - so the palm stores water in the widening at the base of
the trunk. The Triandra Palm can be found at home in India and Malaysia.
(L) South China Screwpine [Pandanus austrosinensis];
(R) Sword-leaved Dragontree [Dracaena cochinchinensis]
This local Screwpine palm has a very distinctive arrangement of 'roots' at the base of the
trunk. The small pictures (centre) show some detail of the trunk. The Dragontree
is another plant native to the rainforests of Xishuangbanna.
Chinese Windmill Palm [Trachycarpus fortunei]
Another local palm. Less mature specimens have a completely fibrous trunk.
(L) Adam's Needle [Yucca filamentosa]; (C) Variegated
Century Plant [Agave variegata]; (R) Spanish Dagger [Yucca
gloriosa]
These three succulents are natives of Central America. they are capable of
withstanding long periods without significant rainfall.
(L) Camphor Laurel [Cinnamomum comphora]; (C) Pencil
Tree [Euphorbia tirucalli]; (R) Pencil Tree detail
The Camphor Tree is famous as the source of the essential oil which is obtained
by steam distillation of the chipped wood, root-stumps and bark. The Pencil Tree
is a very distinctive sight - it is a succulent and therefore produces no
leaves. This enables it to survive in extremely dry climates; not surprisingly,
it originates from Swaziland in Africa. If damaged, it excretes a corrosive and
poisonous milky sap.
Three views of a Fig Tree [Ficus pubilimba]
Very common around the campus, this tree is enlivened by its bright orange fruit
which mature in the spring.
(L) Frangipani flower; (C) Frangipani Tree [Plumeria
acutifolia] (summer); (R) Frangipani bud
(spring)
The Frangipani (or Temple) Tree is deciduous, and its weird-looking stump-like
branches are a strange sight when leafless in the winter. The leaves are glossy
green and pointed ('acutifolia' means pointed in Latin). The Frangipani is a
native of Central America. It's Chinese name is 'Jidan Hua', chicken-egg flower.
(L) Blushing Philodendron [Philodendron erubescens];
(C) Philodendron, underside of leaf detail; (R) Common Bamboo [Bambusa
vulgaris]
The Philodendron is a vine which is native to the rainforests of Columbia.
Bamboo, as you may already know, is very common in China! It has many uses, from
making chopsticks to scaffolding and even houses. And of course it is also the
staple diet of the Panda. We use it in the flat, freshly harvested from the
forest, to suspend various wall-hangings.
Other trees found on campus include Acacia, Eucalyptus, Willow
and Himalayan Cypress.
LEAF-go-VSO
