Blooming profusely in spring, the vivid pink flowers of the wild rose myrtle (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa) can commonly be seen on the hills all around Hong Kong, including the island of Yim Tin Tsai, where this one was digitally captured. Also called downy rose myrtle and Ceylon hill gooseberry, its five-petal flowers give way to dark purple, globose fruits that are particularly tasty to birds and mammals.
Likened to huckleberries or giant blueberries, the fruits produce a thick rich juice that reportedly makes a good jelly. Manually fermented into a violet hued alcohol in Vietnam, the drink is said to be good for the digestion and treatment of aches and pains in the elderly. In Chinese medicine the roots, leaves and fruits can be used as a calming agent and to counter diarrhoea.
This evergreen shrub grows well in coastal areas, tolerating slightly salty soil, and can reach a height of around two metres. Seed drop following fruit consumption rapidly spreads the shrub growth and in some places, such as Florida and Hawaii, rose myrtle is considered a “noxious weed”. In the Himalayas, however, it has shown promise as a fire retardant in creation of fire breaks. It rebounds vigorously after it is burned.
Another blossoming flower found on the paths of Yim Tin Tsai recently is this gardenia. We guessed it might be a Vietnamese Gardenia (Gardenia vietnamensis) but according to the answer received from the Hong Kong Herbarium it is Cape Jasmine Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides). There are many varieties of this type of gardenia, with most having multiple petals, and an overwhelmingly lovely smell. This variety (possibly fortuniana, as noted on the HK Tree website) has single flowers with six petals that age from white to cream. Cape Jasmine Gardenia is semi-evergreen, with glossy foliage, and grows at a rapid pace up to about 1.5 metres. It blooms annually from May through June.
Would any of our expert gardeners out there like to comment of the identification of this gardenia?
Thanks to Tom (Explore’s former Tree Talk author), and Jane Ram of the Hong Kong Gardening Society for help in identifying the rose myrtle and suggestions for the gardenia.
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