Plant in TLF (Mandarin and English Version) V

觀音棕竹 –  Rhapis excelsa

葉子像觀音蓮座形狀，樹幹可作拐杖用的觀音棕竹。是頭城農場常見用來作圍籬的植物。
Leaves shape like the rosette of Guanyin, the trunk can be as a crutch. Is commonly used in Toucheng Leisure Farm as plant fence.

別名：觀音竹、棕櫚竹、筋頭竹、琉球竹、虎散竹
Common Name: Broadleaf lady palm

因其樹幹可做手杖或雨傘柄，所以更常被稱作拐仔棕。
Its trunk can used to make cane or umbrella handle, therefore more often called as Po Tsai Palm.

棕櫚科棕竹屬

Arecaceae – Rhapis genus

多年生草本，單葉叢生呈矮灌木狀。
長枝幹上密生覆蓋著交 錯的黑色長絲狀物，易剝落下來而露出如竹節般翠綠的 莖節。
葉為掌狀裂葉形，叢生於枝條上，葉端呈咬切狀，葉面摺襞具光澤。
雌雄異株，其花序自葉腋抽出，淡黃色的花朵甚小，花期約在六、七月間。
漿果為闊橢圓 狀，表面生有鱗片。
用途：盆栽，庭園景觀植物。

Perennial herbs, leaves were clustered as dwarf shrubby.
On long stems covered with dense black filaments interlaced substances, easily to come off and show out like green bamboo stem node.
Palmate lobed leaves, clusters on the branches, the end of leaves like biting cut, foliage plication and glossy.
Dioeciously plant, its inflorescence grown out from leaf axils, the pale yellow flower is small, flowering period is between Jun and July.
Wide oval berries with the scaly surface.
Uses: Potted plant, garden landscape plants.

艷紫荊– Bauhinia blakeana

秋冬季節，很多樹的葉子紛紛飄落，我卻以粉紫色的花朵盛開，迎接寒冬的到來。
When autumn and winter seasons, many trees’ leaves have falling, whereas I was blooming with pink-purplish flowers, to greet the arrival of winter.

科名：蘇木科
特徵：
1. 常綠小喬木
2. 葉互生，先端分叉
3. 花自頂生或液生，瓣五個，豔紫色，龍骨瓣有紫紅條紋

 Genus: Fabaceae

Characteristics:

1. Small evergreen tree
2. Leaves were alternate and forked at the apex
3. Flowers grow on the apical or liquid, five petals, bright purple colour; the keel of petal has red-purplish striped

原產地香港，九七之後，香港特區的旗幟上代表香港的花就是艷紫荊。
艷紫荊有人也叫洋紫荊，其實和普通洋紫荊不同，是雜交的新品種，花大而呈豔紫色，因而得名。
Origin to Hong Kong, after 1997, flower that represents Hong Kong on the flag of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is Bauhinia.
Bauhinia blakeana actually different from normal Bauhinia, is a hybrid between Bauhinia variegata and Bauhinia purpurea, big flower with bright purple colour, this was it name com from. 

豔紫荊的外形乍看之下很像洋紫荊或羊蹄甲，
其最大的差別是：
羊蹄甲在春天開花；
洋紫荊和豔紫荊在秋冬開花，
但洋紫荊有3個雄蕊，豔紫荊則有5個雄蕊。
The appearance of Bauhinia blakeana looks like Bauhinia purpurea or Bauhinia variegate,

the biggest difference is:

Bauhinia variegate blooms on spring;
Bauhinia blakeana and Bauhinia purpurea bloom on spring and winter,
but Bauhinia purpurea has 3 stamens, while Bauhinia blakeana has 5 stamens.

豔紫荊的花形花色像洋蘭般雍容瑰麗，花期極長，適宜作觀花樹、庭園木或行道樹。

Bauhinia blakeana’s flower-shaped and colour like Bauhinia purpurea that grace, long flowering period, suitable as ornamental plants, garden plant or street way plant.

羊蹄甲、洋紫荊及豔紫荊是其中最普遍的3種，它們葉子的前端分叉開裂，猶如草食偶蹄類動物的蹄，因而以羊蹄甲為代表。她們的外觀類似、名稱也容易混亂，以下用表格來做介紹與比較。
Bauhinia variegate, Bauhinia purpurea and Bauhinia blakeana are the most common species, which the apex of the leaves is forked cracking, like herbivorous animal’s hooves, therefore the goat’s hooves as represents. They look similar, the name is also easily leading to confusion, therefore use the table to identify and compare.

羊蹄甲、洋紫荊、豔紫荊比較表

Table of comparison of Bauhinia variegate, Bauhinia purpurea and Bauhinia blakeana

	羊蹄甲 Bauhinia variegate	洋紫荊  Bauhinia purpurea	豔紫荊 Bauhinia blakeana
生長狀況 Growth Condition	大灌木至小喬木 Large shrub to small tree	中喬木，植株強健，常當豔紫荊的占木  Mesophanerophyte, strong, always as stock plant for Bauhinia blakeana	嫁接洋紫荊上 Grafted on Bauhinia blakeana stock plant
主要花期 Main Flowering Period	春天（3月前後） Spring (Before and after March)	秋天（11月前後） Autumn(Before and after November)	冬半年（10月至3月前後） Autumn-half year (October until before and after March)
開花時葉的狀況 Status of Leaves During Flowering	幾無葉 Almost no leaf	葉茂盛 Leafy	葉茂盛 Leafy
花著生狀況 Status of Axillary Buds Grow	分散腋生 In scattered	集中頂生 Centralized on top	集中頂生 Centralized on top
花色 Flower Colour	粉紅至紫 Pink to purple-pink	粉白 Whitish pink	豔紫 Bright purple
花瓣形態 Petal Shape	寬而相互重疊 Wide and overlapping	窄而相互分離Narrow and separated from each other	稍寬而分離 Slightly wider and separated
雄蕊數 Number of Stamen	5（7） 5(7)	3 3	5（7） 5(7)
結果 Fruiting	短而寬 Short and Wide	長而狹 Long and Narrow	不結果 Fruitless

 月桃 – Alpinia zerumbet

月桃啊！月桃！渾身上下都是寶！

頭城農場今年的月桃年輕化了！往上翹耶！！！

Alpinia ah!  Alpinia! Whole body is a treasure!

This year Alpinia at Toucheng Leisure Farm is rejuvenating! Yeah, To the upturned!!!

科別：薑科月桃屬多年生大型草本

別名：豔山薑、玉桃、良姜、虎子花

多年生草本植物，高度約在1－3公尺之間。葉片呈長披針形，花成串地懸掛在下垂的花序上。果實球形，表面有許多縱稜，未成熟時鮮綠色，成熟時艷紅色，非常玲瓏可愛。月桃分布在全島各地亞熱帶低海拔山區，非常普遍。它具有極高的藥用、食用、觀賞價值。

Family: Zingiberaceae - Alpinia genus is a large perennial herb

Common Name: Shell ginger flower, pink porcelain lily, variegated ginger or butterfly ginger.

Perennial herb, height about 1 to 3 meters. Elongated lanceolate leaves, cluster of flower hanging on the drooping inflorescences. Fruit in spherical shape, the surface has many vertical edges, bright green colour when still immature, bright red when ripe, very exquisitely and lovely. Shell ginger flower is very common and distributed across the subtropical low altitude mountain in the island. It has high usage in medicinal use, edible and high ornamental value.

自古月桃就深具民俗味：葉鞘曬乾編成草蓆，月桃葉可枕墊糕粿、包粽子、種子可做「仁丹」。葉鞘甚長，相互緊抱排列成桿狀，可為繩索之代用品。月桃分布：亞熱帶地區。

Since ancient this plant is full of folk flavor: dry leaves sheath can braid into mat, leaves can use for put the traditional cakes, rice dumplings (Zong Zi), seeds can use to make jintan mouth refresher lozenge. Leaves sheath very long, hug each other and arranged in rod shape, as the substitutes of ropes. Alpinia’s distribution: Subtropical regions.

有三種蝴蝶以月桃維生，其中黑弄蝶及大白紋弄蝶食用它的葉片，而白波紋小灰蝶則取食它的花序。

There are three kinds of butterflies that living in Alpinia, Notocrypta curvifascia andUdaspes folus feeding on its leaves, while Jamides alecto dromicus feeding on its inflorescence.

Angelia