Unique project to sequence the genome of the Hong Kong bauhinia tree
As preparations are made to sequence its genome, Sarah Lazarus goes in search of all there is to know about Hong Kong's Bauhinia blakeana.
It's November and Hong Kong's bauhinia trees are in full flower. Their branches blaze with gorgeous magenta blooms, adding splashes of tropical colour to the city's streets and parks.
This month also sees the launch of an ambitious project to sequence the genome of the Hong Kong bauhinia tree. Bauhinia Genome is a community-based, crowdfunded venture - the first of its kind in Hong Kong. It's the brainchild of Rob Davidson and Scott Edmunds, two scientists working for BGI, one of the leading genome sequencing organisations in the world. It is headquartered in Shenzhen, but maintains its largest sequencing plant in Tai Po.
When I arrive, I'm surprised to find this state-of-the-art facility housed in a converted print works on an ageing industrial estate. The air here is not scented with flowers, but spiced by the hoisin sauce brewing in the factory next door.
What inspired the idea?
"The Puerto Rican parrot," says Davidson. "I was at a conference and heard about an initiative to sequence its genome, using crowdfunding. It was hugely successful - it boosted peoples' pride in the parrot and their interest in conservation and genetics. I thought it was really cool, and I wondered if we could do something similar in Hong Kong. The bauhinia flower immediately sprang to mind."
The flower of the tree has been the emblem of Hong Kong since the handover, in 1997. It adorns the territory's flag and is stamped on its coins. Also known as the Hong Kong orchid tree, it is a hybrid - a cross between two other bauhinia trees, and . Like many hybrids it is sterile, and cannot reproduce naturally.
