As a British colony, Hong Kong was no longer a transit point for Western naturalists, it also became a base for research. Yet, there were no botanical gardens in Hong Kong before the 1860s, and the herbarium only came into the picture in the late 1870s. Local botanical research at this time relied on support from private gardens. Specimens must be sent to Britain for classification and archiving, while only the specimens that arrived in one piece after a long, risky journey, would be recognised. From Hong Kong-based field naturalists, horticulturists, taxonomists, intermediaries to British experts, naturalists weaved together a complex network of botanical connections.
