"Kowloon Tong Flower"

Tue, 08/30/2022 - 07:21

I recently read an older post regarding Bruce Lee's house in Kowloon Tong, and was interested in the related comments about a certain flower mostly seen around Kowloon Tong and its parks.  The person who posted a photo of this flower referred to it as Pyrostegia Venusta.  I shared these comments with a friend living in Hong Kong, and she identified it as Firecracker flower (Bao Cheung Fah).  She forwarded a photo she took of a tree bearing these flowers in front of a house in Cheung Chau, taken on February 2, 2019.  I thought her photo might be of interest, especially to the people who commented on this flower.

According to Wikipedia, Pyrostegia Venusta, commonly known as flame vine or orange trumpet vine, was originally native to Southern Brazil, Bolivia, Northeastern Argentina and Paraguay, and now a widely cultivated garden species.

On an amusing note, two friends of mine remembered this flower growing up in Hong Kong, and both mentioned how, as children, they would pluck the flower and suck on the stem for its sweetness!

 

Date picture taken
2 Feb 2019