Chinese Bishopwood

Scientific Name : Bischofia polycarpa (H. Lév.) Airy Shaw
Common Name : Chinese Bishopwood
Chinese Name : 重陽木
Family : EUPHORBIACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species

Anecdotes on plants

Origins	The southern region from Qinling Mountains and Huaihe River Basin, to the northern region of Fujian and Guangdong Province, China.
Applications	The wood of the Chinese Bishopwood is heavy, tough and durable, with a fine and uniform structure, as well as being shiny, which enables it to be made into furniture or building materials. The pulp of the edible fruit, which is sweet and sour in taste, can be processed into wine. Having high oil content, oil can be extracted from the seeds for both culinary and industrial purposes, such as lubricant or soap. Additionally, the Chinese Bishopwood is a common street tree and ornamental species. Because of its longevity as a tree species, ancient trees of this species exist all over China. In Hong Kong, two Chinese Bishopwood trees in Sha Tin have been listed as Old and Valuable Trees (OVTs) (LCSD ST/5, https://ovt.greening.gov.hk/detail.aspx?id=3867&m=13 and LCSD ST/6, https://ovt.greening.gov.hk/detail.aspx?id=3868&m=13). Their diameter at breast height (DBH) reaches 5.5 m or above, with a height of at least 16 m and a canopy in 14 m width.
Meanings of name	Various stories surround the relationship between the Chinese Bishopwood (as “Chung Yeung Wood (重陽木)” in Chinese) and the Chung Yeung Festival節). It is said that the ancient people found that the Chinese Bishopwood provided the coolest shade when they went hiking in Chung Yeung Festival. Therefore, the species was named with the words “Chung Yeung (重陽)” in Chinese. It is also said that the long lifespan of Chinese Bishopwood matches the meaning of “longevity” in the “Double-Nine (as 9th September in Lunar Calendar)” Chung Yeung Festival, thus was given the name.
Chinese Bishopwood & Autumn Maple (Bischofia javanica Blume) :	These two species under the same family and genus are closely related, which can hardly be distinguished. In order to distinguish the two, you may observe their bark, leaves, and inflorescence. The brown bark of the Chinese Bishopwood is longitudinally fissured, while the bark of Autumn Maple is greyish brown to brown without longitudinal fissures. The base of leaflets of the Chinese Bishopwood is obtuse-rounded to shallowly cordate; on the contrary, the base of leaflets of Autumn Maple is broadly cuneate. The flowers of Chinese Bishopwood are arranged in racemes, while the flowers of Autumn Maple are arranged in panicles.

Traits for identification

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Remarks

Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website : https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=8148

Scientific names from other databases
― Flora of China : Bischofia polycarpa (H. Léveillé) Airy Shaw
― Plants of the World Online : Bischofia polycarpa (H.Lév.) Airy Shaw

Reference

• Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). (2018). A Photographic Guide to Common Urban Trees of Hong Kong. 3^rd edition. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Hong Kong. ISBN: 978-988-12021-3-0.
• Development Bureau. (2017). LCSD ST/5, Old and Valuable Tree Information. Old and Valuable Trees in Hong Kong. Retrieved 21^st July 2020, from: https://ovt.greening.gov.hk/detail.aspx?id=3867&m=13
• Development Bureau. (2017). LCSD ST/6, Old and Valuable Tree Information. Old and Valuable Trees in Hong Kong. Retrieved 21^st July 2020, from: https://ovt.greening.gov.hk/detail.aspx?id=3868&m=13
• Development Bureau. (2017). Species name: Bischofia polycarpa, Listing - By Species. Old and Valuable Trees in Hong Kong. Retrieved 21^st July 2020, from: https://ovt.greening.gov.hk/listtree.aspx?m=13&q=l&qt=3&species_id=143
• eFloras. (2008). Bischofia polycarpa (H. Léveillé) Airy Shaw. Flora of China. [Online Edition]. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 21^st July 2020, from: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=242308511
• Hong Kong Herbarium, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department & South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. (2007-2011). Bischofia polycarpa (H. Lév.) Airy Shaw 重陽木. Flora of Hong Kong. [Online Edition]. Retrieved 21^st July 2020, from: https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/FloraOfHK/Species/8148/8148_S_E.pdf
• 中國科學院仙湖植物園。（2010）。《深圳植物誌》（第2卷）。北京 : 中國林業出版社。國際標準書號 : 978-7-5038-5884-0。
• 中國科學院植物誌編輯委員會。（1959-2004）。〈重陽木Bischofia polycarpa (H. Lév.) Airy Shaw〉。《中國植物誌》。[網上版本]。於2020年7月21日擷取自 : http://www.iplant.cn/info/Bischofia%20polycarpa?t=z
• 中國科學院華南植物園。（2003）。《廣東植物誌》（第5卷）。廣州 : 廣東科技出版社。國際標準書號 : 978-7-5359-3322-X。
• 香港園藝學會。（2018）。《香港常見相似樹木辨識》。香港 : 天地圖書有限公司。國際標準書號 : 978-988-8547-17-3。
• 黎雲昆。（2015）。〈童童若蓋重陽木〉。《生態文化》，4，12-13。於2020年7月21日擷取自 : https://tra-oversea-cnki-net.easyaccess2.lib.cuhk.edu.hk/kcms/detail/detail.aspx?dbcode=CJFD&filename=STWH201504006&dbname=CJFDLASN2015&uid=WEEvREcwSlJHSldRa1FhdkJtNEYwQTAreXZsWmZacExrK1A1TjRNODFWND0=$9A4hF_YAuvQ5obgVAqNKPCYcEjKensW4IQMovwHtwkF4VYPoHbKxJw!!