Category Archives: 4.5 Billion Years of Earth’s History(4.5BYEH)

Introducing types of ferns

4.5 Billion Years of Earth's History(4.5BYEH), Fern Graden April 3, 2019 idb

Ferns are among the oldest living plants on earth and there are both indoor and outdoor types of ferns. They normally have fronds (leaves) that drape and flow, adding a dramatic touch to a garden or indoor setting. List of Fern VarietiesMore than 20,000 known species of ferns grow around the world. Many types of ferns flourish both outdoors and as houseplants. Outdoor ferns thrive best in partially shaded areas and those grown indoors flourish in bright light, provided they are not placed in the…

Hong Kong Native Plants

Hong Kong, though small in size, is diverse in its flora. About 2,000 species of vascular plants native to Hong Kong has been recorded. More significantly, a large number of species new to science have first been discovered in Hong Kong. This is attributed to the continued efforts of plant enthusiasts in botanical exploration and their perseverance in conserving the local flora. Hong Kong Native Plants in Zero-Carbon Building (ZCB) Flora Conservation The AFCD implements flora conservation work mainly through the following measures:1. Species Protection:…

Hong Kong Native Plants in CFSS

4.5 Billion Years of Earth's History(4.5BYEH), Hong Kong Native Plants April 1, 2019 idb

In CFSS, many herbs and shrubs cultivated in Environmental Trail and on the rooftop belong to Hong Kong native species. The humid and subtropical climate of Hong Kong provides peculiar environment for these native plants to inhabit well on campus.

Importance of Native Plants

4.5 Billion Years of Earth's History(4.5BYEH), Hong Kong Native Plants April 1, 2019 idb

(A) Low maintenance: Once established, native plants generally require little maintenance. (B) Beauty: Many native plants offer beautiful showy flowers, produce abundant colorful fruits and seeds, and brilliant seasonal changes in colors from the pale, thin greens of early spring, to the vibrant yellows and reds of autumn. (C) Helping the Climate: Landscaping with native plants can combat climate change. In addition to the reduced noise and carbon pollution from lawn mower exhaust, many native plants are effective at storing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.…

Cycads Garden in CFSS

4.5 Billion Years of Earth's History(4.5BYEH), Cycads Garden April 1, 2019 idb

Cycads are vascular, seed plants that are palm-like and are called Sago Palms. The leaves are found in a cluster at the tops of the trunks. Cycads were first to show “true secondary growth” along plant’s evolutionary history. Class: CycadopsidaOrder: CycadalesFamily: CycadaceaeGenera: Cycas / Zamia / Microcycas/ Dioon etc. Representative seed and pollen cones for all cycad genera. a) Bowenia serrulata seed cone b) Bowenia spectabilis pollen cone c) Ceratozamia decumbens seed cone d) Ceratozamia decumbens pollen cone e) Cycas couttsiana seed cone f) Cycas…

JURASSIC – Age of Cycads

4.5 Billion Years of Earth's History(4.5BYEH), Jurassic Plants Garden April 1, 2019 idb

Cycads were an abundant component of the flora in the Mesozoic. During the Triassic and Jurassic, the time of their greatest diversity, cycads made up 20% of the world flora. For this reason the Mesozoic, and especially the Jurassic, is often referred to as the “Age of Cycads”. During this time, they were an important component of the vegetation, not simply in numbers of species, but in size and number of individuals. Cycads were the trees and shrubs which, along with the conifers and Ginkgoales,…

Plants diversity

4.5 Billion Years of Earth's History(4.5BYEH), Evolution of Plants April 1, 2019 idb

The plants are classified into four main groups. The plants without vascular tissues, i.e. no roots, stems and leaves, are mosses, hornworts and liverworts. The plants that have vascular tissues but seedless are ferns. For the vascular plants having seeds, the non-flowering plants are conifers, while the flowering plants are angiosperms. Some plants have developed special features for adapting extreme environments. Xerophytes survive in dryness, as they have widespread roots, barrel-sharped stems and needle-shaped leaves. Hydrophytes possess broad leaves for floating to maximize sunlight absorption…

Evolution of plants-path of study in CFSS

4.5 Billion Years of Earth's History(4.5BYEH), Evolution of Plants April 1, 2019 idb

To provide a nurturing environment and enrich the learning atmosphere for students to experience the contribution of science and technology to sustainable development, new facilities and teaching aids have been added in recent years, e.g. Jurassic Garden, Fern Belt, Orchard and Cycad Zone. THe Tree fern belt Sustainability is manifested by the biodiversity of 1000+ species of shrubs, trees, ferns, gymnosperms, medicinal and scented plants in Fern Garden, Medicinal Herb Garden, Greenhouses as well as the Environmental Trail, enabling students to learn at ease. The…

Evolution of Plants

4.5 Billion Years of Earth's History(4.5BYEH), Evolution of Plants April 1, 2019 idb

The evolution of plants had already started 475 million years ago. The ancestor was actually a freshwater green alga called charophyte, which at first evolved to non-vascular plants (liverworts, hornworts and mosses) and then seedless vascular plants (ferns). It was not until 360 million years ago that seed plants, including non-flowering plants (gymnosperms) and flowering plants (angiosperms), emerged on Earth. References: 1. https://www.doterra.com/US/en/botany-living-organism-plant-evolution 2. https://antranik.org/the-evolution-of-plants/

360-degree photography

4.5 Billion Years of Earth's History(4.5BYEH), AR/VR Photography April 1, 2019 idb

Favored by the omnipresence of Virtual Reality (VR), it has brought up a brand new innovation in the era of photography, known as 360-degree photography. It is simply a panorama image, represented in spherical shape that captures a location from multiple angles. What is so special about 360-degree photos? Well, normal cameras can only capture the space where you are for roughly 90 degrees only. However, the 360 canmera will capture the whole scene, including the sky, behind and in front of the scene. As…