The Nanyan Observer

Flowers are the messenger of spring. They are colorful decorations and delightful scenery. Their enchanting fragrance could light up passerby’s mind.

There are various types of flowers our campus of PKU Shenzhen. With the help of an app called “XingSe” (形色), we are able to dig into the wonderful diversity and features of the flowers on campus. All we needed to do was to take a photo of that flower and the app then recognizes the flower and shares a rich description. Now, let’s have a look at some of the flowers.

1. Zhujin (Chinese Hibiscus)

      Zhujin(朱瑾) is a common flower in the south of China. It is usually pink and red. There are also some yellow types. There are total more than 3,000 types of this flower among the world. It has been common and popular in ancient China. It has a very sweet fragrance. It prefers warm and sunny days. If you are looking for them on campus, they are planted along the road to Tsinghua SIGS.

2. Putao （Myrtle)

This yellow beautiful flower is called Putao(蒲桃). It’s growing on the road outside the Shenzhen University Town Library. Because of its special fragrance, it is also called Xiangtao (香桃). One amazing characteristic of this plant is that its fruit is edible (but, of course, we shouldn’t eat the fruit from the trees on campus!) It also possesses a very high ornamental value. Xiangtao usually grows in the tropics, but it has can adapt well to the weather and environment. It prefers to grow in wet soil.  

3. Lan Hudie (Blue Butterfly Bush)

This flower looks like butterflies. Its name is Lan Hudie(蓝蝴蝶). It’s growing on the road near the Dasha River. It originates from India. It prefers to grow in high temperatures. Lan Hudie could be used for decoration inside the house. Its color is very simple and elegant. The flower is also edible, and the water of it could be used in tea or food. The size of the flower is relatively small, but they often grow in clusters.

4. Hezi Hua （Bougainvillea）

           This bright-colored flower is called Yezi hua(叶子花). It’s growing near the building of PHBS. It originates from Brazil. The flower can be bright red, purplish red, orange or creamy white. It is a symbol of hospitality. Yezi Hua is common in the tropics. It usually blossoms from the late spring to the early winter.

5. Huangzhongmu (Yellow Pui)

           This yellow cute flower has a very elegant name: Huangzhongmu(黄钟木). You may find it near the building of STL. It also has many cute names such as Maohuangzhonghua (毛黄钟花 ) and Huangjin (黄槿) Fenglingmu (风铃木). It is new to China with a history of only several years. It has distinct features in four seasons. The tree could be 4-5 meter high. It is vulnerable to coldness and flourishes in a high temperature environment. 

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We love our beautiful Nanyan campus. Just as the PKU main campus in Beijing is itself a magnificent garden, we get to enjoy the tropical flowers that make our home the southern garden of PKU.

Big thank you to all the hard work from our campus personnel who keep the environment so pristine and vibrant!

Written by Wang Haozhe