Bauhinia blakeana and other health warnings

The book “The Cockroach Catcher” is published by Bauhinia Press. Bauhinia blakeana is named after one of the British Governors of Hong Kong (Sir Henry Blake-1898 to 1903). An enthusiastic botanist, he discovered it in 1880 near the ruins of a house on the shores of Hong Kong Island near Pok Fu Lam. It is now the floral emblem of Hong Kong. The flower in fact looks like an orchid and is often referred to as a tree orchid. As such it is a mirror symmetrical flower.

Keen observer may notice that the emblem used for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region does not depict it so but rather as rotationally symmetrical.

The plant is usually sterile and can only be propagated by cuttings or root layering. However, one tree has been found that produces seeds and research is ongoing to settle the hybrid/species debate.

Health Warning:

Any material regarding treatment in this blog and the book “The Cockroach Catcher” carry the usual warning. Do not try it at home. If in doubt, consult your doctor, as long as he has not turned into a monkey. Some material is meant to be light hearted in nature and if you take it seriously, you may need to see your psychiatrist, or maybe not.

Anyone who happens to be faking illness should think twice before consulting his or her doctor or psychiatrist. What the doctor prescribes may indeed be harmful, especially if the person concerned does not need it.