by P. C. Leung and K. L. Yip

Introduction
Hong Kong, being located along the northern fringe of the Tropics and bordered on to the Pacific Ocean, experiences seasonal variations in weather conditions which furnishes surprisingly diverse and numerous climbing plants. Climbers, as different from trees, do not have a prominent trunk and canopy. As such, except the weedy Mikania to which recent public attention has been paid, many of us may not be aware of our climbing plants, even they are commonly found in our countryside as well as planted in gardens and on cut slopes as vertical landscape plantings. In fact, many climbers such as Climbing Bauhinia are noteworthy for the beauty of its blossoms. However, some people may consider that all climbers are weeds which have impacts to trees and natural environment. Their roles in maintaining biodiversity in our natural environment have largely been overlooked. Through the following introductions on a number of common climber species, it is hoped that the readers would learn more about climbers, as well as appreciate their beauty and characters.
 

   

Family	Fabaceae (Papilonaceae)
Species	Dalbergia benthamii
Common name	Bentham’s Rosewood
Habits	Woody climber
Description	Leaves alternate, pinnate, with 3 to 9 leaflets. Leaflets are up to 5cm long, margin entire, glossy green above and below with silky hairs. Flowers are small and white in color, grouped in upright clusters at the ends of the branches.  The fruit is a pod.
Flowering period	February to April
Fruiting period	April to May
Locality	Commonly found in open woodland and entangling trees.
Distribution	Gunagxi, Hainan and Guangdong; and also found in Vietnam.
Uses	Fibers; medicine

 

 

Cairo Morning Glory

   

Family	Convolvulaceae
Species	Ipomoea cairica
Common name	Cairo Morning Glory
Habits	Perennial herbaceous climber
Description	Leaves alternate, 2.5 – 8cm long, compound leave with 5 to 7 leaflets. Leaflets are elliptic with an entire margin and arranged in palmate or digitate form.   Flowers are funnel-shaped and light purple in color, either singly or in clusters stalked in the leaf axils. The fruit is a round capsule, nearly 1 cm across.
Flowering period	Nearly all year around
Fruiting period
Locality	Commonly found in lowland and roadsides with ample sunlight
Distribution	Taiwan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan; and widely distributed in Africa and Tropical Asia.
Uses	Medicine; weed

 

 

Luofushan Joint-fir
 

   

 

Family	Gnetaceae
Species	Gnetum luofuense
Common name	Luofushan Joint-fir
Habits	Climbing shrub
Description	Leaves opposite, simple and elliptic in shape; up to 15cm long and with an entire margin. Stems hairless and branches with dump-bell shaped nodes.  Flowers are in axillary spikes. The fruits are borne in bunches, and changed from green to red when ripe, which looks like grapes.
Flowering period	May to July
Fruiting period	August to October
Locality	Commonly found entangling large trees
Distribution	Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, Guihou, Yunnan and also widely distributed in India and Southeast Asia.
Uses	Vertical landscape plantings in gardens

 

 Spiny-fruited Vine

   
 

Family	Sterculiaceae
Species	Byttneria aspera
Common name	Spiny-fruited Vine
Habits	Woody climber
Description	Leaves alternate, simple, oval in shape, 10 – 20cm long and entire margin; hairless above and below with white hairs.  Flowers are small and arranged in clusters; pale yellow in color and marked with red inside.  The fruit is a round capsule, covered with prickles and hairs. Seeds are elliptic and black when ripe.
Flowering period	Spring to Summer
Fruiting period
Locality	Commonly found in open woodland or its periphery and watercourse banks.
Distribution	Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan; and also found in India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand
Uses	Fibers; medicine.

 
 

 Sour Creeper

   
 

Family	Apocynaceae
Species	Urceola rosea
Common name	Sour Creeper
Habits	Woody climber
Description	Leaves opposite, simple, oval in shape, about 5cm long, margin entire; green and shining above and below with whitish bloom. Flowers are red and very numerous in terminal spreading panicles. Fruits are in a pair of divergent follicles, with spots on surface.
Flowering period	May to June
Fruiting period	July to January
Locality	Commonly found in open woodland or shrubland at Hong Kong Island, Tai Mo Shan and Lantau.
Distribution	Taiwan, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Hunan, Guihou, Yunnan and Sichuan; and also found in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.
Uses	Medicine; landscape planting.

 
 

Climbing Bauhinia

   
 

Family	Caesalpiniaceae
Species	Bauhinia glauca
Common name	Climbing Bauhinia
Habits	Woody climber
Description	Leaves alternate, simple, bi-lobed with notched apex and base, margin entire and upper surface come into sight as pink colored. Flowers are white and blossom in summer. The fruit is a non-bursting pod.
Flowering period	April to June
Fruiting period	July to September
Locality	Commonly found in shrubland and woodland at hillsides.
Distribution	Yunnan, Guihou, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, and also widely distributed in India, Indochina and Indonesia.
Uses	Medicine.

 
 

Kudzu

Family	Papilionaceae
Species	Pueraria lobata
Common name	Kudzu
Habits	Climbing shrub
Description	Leaves alternate, compound leave with 3 leaflets, lanceolate or three-lobed in shape, entire margin and variable in size. Flowers are fragrant, purple in color and arranged in axillary racemes.  The fruit is a hairy compressed pod.
Flowering period	September to October
Fruiting period	November to December
Locality	Commonly found in open woodland and shrubland
Distribution	Wildly distributed in China, and from Southeast Asia to Australia.
Uses	Medicine.

 Chinese Feverine

   
 

Family	Rubiaceae
Species	Paederia scandens
Common name	Chinese Feverine
Habits	Climbing shrub
Description	Leaves opposite, simple and variable in shape; with a pungent smell when crushed.  Stems long and much branched. Flowers are pale purple in color and fruits are small and oval in shape.
Flowering period	August to September
Fruiting period	September to December
Locality	Commonly found in shrubland
Distribution	Provinces to south of Chang Jiang as well as the riverside areas. Also wildly distributed in Japan, and from India to Indonesia.
Uses	Medicine; fibers.

 

   Diverse-leaved Creeper

Family	Vitaceae
Species	Parthenocissus dalzielii
Common name	Diverse-leaved Creeper
Habits	Woody climber
Description	Leaves alternate, shape varying from cordate to trifoliate; and margin coarsely toothed. Young leaves are red-tinged under ample sunlight but green in shade. In fall, leaves turn brilliant red.  Flowers are small and yellowish green in color; arranged in axillary clusters and leaf-opposed.   The fruit is a berry, blue-black in color and with whitish bloom when ripe.
Flowering period	May to July
Fruiting period	July to November
Locality	Cultivated. Commonly used as landscape planting for slope works. Also found on steep cliffs, hillsides and valleys.
Distribution	Taiwan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Anhui, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Guihou, Yunnan and Sichuan.
Uses	Landscape planting on vertical surface.

 

Cassytha

  

Family	Lauraceae
Species	Cassytha filiformis
Common name	Cassytha
Habits	Parasitic climbing herb
Description	A parasite without leaves or roots but attaching itself to the host plants by sucker-like structure. Stems long and wiry, yellowish brown in color. White flowers are small and arranged in short spike. The fruit is a soft berry, white when ripe.
Flowering period	May to December
Fruiting period	May to December
Locality	Commonly found in seashore or shrubland with ample sunlight.
Distribution	Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guihou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian and Taiwan. Also found in Africa, Tropical Asia and Australia.
Uses	Medicine.

 

References:
中國科學院中國植物誌編輯委員會，1959-2001。中國植物誌，2-80卷。 科學出版社，北京。 
邢福武、 余明恩(主編)，2000。 深圳野生植物。中國林業出版社，北京。 
吳德鄰(主編)，2002。香港植物名錄2001。 漁農自然護理署出版，香港。 
Thrower S.L. 1983. Hong Kong Climbing Plants. The Urban Council. Hong Kong