Want to know how Hong Kong got its name, or how many plants have been named after Hong Kong? All this can be found in the latest version of "Check List of Hong Kong Plants" published by the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department.

According to the 2004 edition of "Check List of Hong Kong Plants", Hong Kong, despite being a bustling business and commercial centre, has a rich variety of plants.

It has a total of 3,164 plant species and varieties, including 2,121 native species.

Check list: Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department's Conservation Officer Dr Joseph Yip shows one of Hong Kong's  oldest plant specimens - prepared in the 1870s - to the media; Aquilaria sinensis, from which Hong Kong took its name; and Camellia hongkongensis. (Photo credits: Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department)

Fourteen of them are named after Hong Kong and four species are known only from Hong Kong and nowhere else.

They are: Balanophora hongkongensis, Asarum hongkongense, Croton hancei, and Camellia hongkongensis.

Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department's Conservation Officer Dr Joseph Yip said the newly published check list brings up-to-date the names of vascular plants which have been recorded as growing in Hong Kong.

Besides the addition of new records and nomenclatural amendments, he said, this edition also provides information on the habits of the plant species.

He said people may not be aware that the name of Hong Kong was derived from a peculiar plant - Aquilaria sinensis - which produces fragrant resin.

Website provides plant species details

Dr Yip said the check list provides the scientific names of the plant species in a systematic manner. The synonyms and misapplied names of the plant species are also provided for easy reference in case their scientific names have been changed.

To provide easy reference, people can obtain details of the check list online at the website of the Hong Kong Herbarium.

The Herbarium is responsible for the collection, identification and management of plant specimens, which serve as authentic and permanent records of Hong Kong flora.

Visitors welcome to tour herbarium

Situated on the seventh floor of the Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, the Herbarium keeps more than 200 types of plant specimens, the oldest of which was prepared in the 1870s.

These valuable stores make the Herbarium an invaluable place to study the flora of Hong Kong and its nearby regions, he said.

Those who want to know more about Hong Kong plants can visit the Hong Kong Herbarium by calling 2150 6900.

New series will spotlight Hong Kong plants

Dr Yip said, the department, in collaboration with the South China Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences and plants taxonomists from local universities are currently preparing a new series of Flora of Hong Kong.

It is expected that the project will last for four years with the first serial planned to be published in 2005.

Noting that the last flora publication was issued more than one hundred years age, Dr Yip said the Flora of Hong Kong project is a major milestone in the heritage of the botanical research of Hong Kong.