| English Name | Ford's Crape Myrtle |
|---|---|
| Status in China | Vulnerable (VU) |
Description:
Trees, 5-8 m tall. Leaves alternate, papery, oblong-lanceolate, 6-10 cm long, 2.5-3.5 cm wide, apex caudate-acuminate, base cuneate, lateral veins 4-5 pairs. Panicles 6-12 cm long, grayish white tomentose; calyx 5-6 mm long, white pubescent, with 10-12 ribs; lobes 6, triangular; petals 6, cordate-orbicular, 1-1.2 cm long including claws; stamens 25-30; ovary glabrous. Capsule ellipsoidal, brown, 1-1.2 cm long, 6-8 mm in diam.
Distribution:
Wong Chuk Hang, Tai Tam, Cape D'Aguilar, Aberdeen, Mount Nicholson, Pok Fu Lam, Happy Valley, Lantau Island. Guangdong, Fujian.
Habitat and Ecology:
In thin forests. Flowering: Jun.-Oct.; fruiting: Aug.-Oct.
The colourful flowers make it an attractive ornamental plant. It is threatened by over collection for cultivation. In Hong Kong, most of the localities of occurrence are in the Country Parks under protection. The species has been listed as protected species under the Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96 sub. leg.).
References:
高蘊璋，1995：千屈菜科。廣東植物誌3：83。廣東科技出版社，廣州。
