Description
Hong Kong’s emblem is the beautiful Bauhinia flower and appears on the Hong Kong flag and currency. This is the flower of the orchid tree Bauhinia blakeana, which was first discovered in Hong Kong. What many people may not know is that it is a sterile hybrid, and how and why it ended up in Hong Kong is shrouded in mystery. It is thought that the species is likely a hybrid of two local species, Bauhinia variegata and Bauhinia purpurea, but this had yet to be confirmed at a genomic scale.
One of the best ways to help uncover the secrets of any organism is by understanding its genetic makeup. Genomics, sequencing of the genetic code of organisms, provides a complete look into the genetic complement of any species. It is also one of the key technologies that will define the 21st century. By bringing together the emblematic and mysterious Bauhinia flower and the power and knowledge of genome technology, we can build a bridge between science and community— enlightening our understanding of this plant’s interesting biology and informing and educating the public about this exciting and rapidly advancing field.
To build such a collaborative endeavor, BauhiniaGenome launched the Hong Kong genome project through which they sequenced the genome of the Hong Kong emblem to better understand where it came from; train local students to assemble and analyse the data — crucial skills needed for this field to advance; and engage the public through local pride.
Data Records
The data in this occurrence resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 36 records.
This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.
Versions
The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.
How to cite
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
Fan Y, Edmunds SC (2024): Bauhinia Genome Presents: Bauhinia Watch. v1.0. GigaScience Press. Dataset/Occurrence. https://ipt.taibif.tw/resource?r=bauhinia_project&v=1.0
Rights
Researchers should respect the following rights statement:
The publisher and rights holder of this work is GigaScience Press. To the extent possible under law, the publisher has waived all rights to these data and has dedicated them to the Public Domain (CC0 1.0). Users may copy, modify, distribute and use the work, including for commercial purposes, without restriction.
GBIF Registration
This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: 383f5120-0be3-43c1-a52f-3a8b1ef9239b. GigaScience Press publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by Participant Node Managers Committee.
Keywords
Occurrence; Bauhinia genus; Bauhinia Genome Project; Hong Kong; Observation
Contacts
- Originator
https://orcid.org/000-0003-3308-6878
- Metadata Provider ●
- Originator ●
- User ●
- Point Of Contact
Geographic Coverage
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and other areas where these three Bauhinia species are growing.
| Bounding Coordinates | South West [13.732, 94.536], North East [23.143, 114.25] |
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Taxonomic Coverage
Three species from the Bauhinia genus that flower in Hong Kong: Bauhinia blakeana, Bauhinia purpurea and Bauhinia variegata (which also has a white sub-species -Bauhinia variegata 'candida').
| Species | Bauhinia blakeana (Hong Kong Orchid Tree), Bauhinia purpurea (Purple bauhinia), Bauhinia variegata (Orchid tree) |
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Temporal Coverage
| Start Date / End Date | 2015-10-23 / 2024-05-11 |
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Sampling Methods
Participants submit observations through the website or social media. The website form asks which species have you seen, as well as asks for information on location, other government identifiers, and flowing/seeding status. It can also collect misc information like related iNaturalist links. Through social media like Twitter/X or Instagram participants can take a photograph of the Bauhinia and post it with the hashtag #BauhiniaWatch, adding which type of Bauhinia they think it is and any other relevant details.
| Study Extent | Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) is located on the southern coast of mainland China at 22.3193° N, 114.1694° E, at the northern end of the South China Sea. |
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| Quality Control | The Bauhinia Project team check the submissions, if there is linked iNaturalist data, and if the likely location and status sounds plausible. |
Method step description:
- A citizen scientist submits Bauhinia observation data through the website and social media and this is then curated and shared to GBIF.
Additional Metadata
| Purpose | Linked to and providing phenotypic insight the Bauhinia Genome Project, Bauhinia Watch wants to record where Bauhinia are all around Hong Kong, what types there are, and when they’re flowering or producing seeds. It is thought that Bauhinia blakeana is likely a hybrid of two local species, Bauhinia variegata and Bauhinia purpurea, and this project provides a spotting guide for the three species, and also aims to collect information on the different times they flower and seed throughout the year. Potentially also reporting any cases of the elusive seeding ‘blakeana’ – an exciting scientific prospect that has been reported but never confirmed. |
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| Alternative Identifiers | https://ipt.taibif.tw/resource?r=bauhinia_project |