Armed with some basic knowledge about ferns in Hong Kong, here are few publications from Hong Kong and Taiwan for you to add to your book library if you are interested in learning more.
“Ferns of Hong Kong”, published by the Flora Department of Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in 2004, has the most updated record of ferns in Hong Kong. It contains records of the more than 239 types of ferns that are in Hong Kong. . We also recommend you to look for some publications from Taiwan apart from searching online. Several publications by Professor Meng-cheng Kuo, a Taiwanese fern expert, were updated in 2019. These are definitely on the to-read list for people who have a strong interest in ferns. One thing to note is that the terms used in Taiwan are different from Hong Kong. Readers are suggested to use the scientific names when searching for data and read the content and photos more carefully in these books.
“Guide of Ferns” is like an encyclopedia of ferns which brings you on a tour through a time machine, introducing ferns from the Carboniferous Period 400 million years ago to the fern ecology nowadays by illustrating their stems, leaves and sporangia. This book comprehensively records ferns concisely and humorously. It is definitely a great entry-level literature for fern lovers.
“Ferns of Taiwan 1 and 2” introduces more than 650 kinds of ferns. “Ferns of Taiwan 1” covers the most common ferns and the ones with unique appearances, while “Ferns of Taiwan 2” covers the rare and endangered species. These two books are suitable for readers who would like to add a fern catalog in their collection to seek more in-depth knowledge.
These books categorize ferns by their ecology and habitats, illustrating their appearance, growth habits and distribution by photos and graphs with simple captions for readers’ identification. They also cover the ecological fun facts and two features of each fern, for example, the way leaves splitt or the appearance of their sporangia or spore membranes, which can help readers to identify and compare different ferns quickly.
Started as an advertising company, Seedesign from Taiwan released a very popular Fern Calendar 2020 which features a fern every day with fun facts about it.
Many scholars have discovered new ferns and species in recent years. Conservation and research projects are more active in Hong Kong and other places as well. Let’s look forward to the next update publication about ferns in Hong Kong!