• Species: Cinnamon Camphor
• Old and valuable tree of Hong Kong listing: ARCHSD YTM/026, 027, 028, 029, 030, 032, 033, 034, 036, 037, 049 and 057
• Location: Kowloon Park and Haiphong Road

Kowloon Parks is home to numerous ancient trees, including the famous 400 year-old ‘king‘ of trees, but few have the awesome impact of the row of immense Cinnamon Camphors that line its border with Haiphong Road.

I was rushing so didn’t get a chance to count exactly how many there were (found out later there were 12), but the massive trees line the entire side of the Park that stretches from Nathan Road to Canton Road.

Each of the individual trees are impressive on their own, with main trunks like pillars, and limbs that spread out gracefully like nature’s own parasol. Together, they look like forests spirits or mythical beasts ready to do combat with their concrete counterparts across the narrow street. I have been here before at night and the effect is multiplied a hundred times. Well worth a visit.

Giant camphor

Every one of them is listed as an ‘Old and valuable tree of Hong Kong’. They are registered as ARCHSD YTM/026, 027, 028, 029, 030, 032, 033, 034, 036, 037, 049 and 057. According to government information, these camphors are over 130 years old and were planted as part of the Whitfield Camp Barracks for British forces. In 1968, the barracks were dismantled and transformed into Kowloon Park, and luckily, the military status of the grounds meant the old trees were well preserved. Today, they have found an ideal home as park of the hopefully protected park grounds.

Categories:Camphor tree, Old and valuable trees of Hong Kong, treelover, urbantrees, Urbantrees of Hong KongTags: camphor, Hong Kong, Kowloon Park, Old and valuable trees of Hong Kong, treelovers, urbantrees