這是香港惟一本地原產松樹，可在惡劣環境下生長，樹幹稍為扭曲，樹冠闊大不規則，樹皮紅褐色至灰色，深裂，成大片起角薄片剝落。七十年代一種來自北美寄生的松樹線蟲 （parasitic Pine Wood Nematode） 差不多把所有的山松毀掉， 現在校園僅存小量山松，其餘松樹絕大部份都是外來的濕地松 （Slash Pine）。

Chinese Red Pine is the only pine species native to Hong Kong.  It is able to grow in harsh arid environments.  The trunk is slightly twisted and crooked, and the canopy broad and irregular.  The bark is made up of thick grayish scales at the base and thin orange-brown flakes towards the apex.  It has deep cracks and exfoliates in large spline-shaped flakes.  Pollination in spring, cones mature only in winter next year.  In the 70s, an invasion by the parasitic Pine Wood Nematode, a parasite from Northern America, destroyed almost all Chinese Red Pine in the territory.  CUHK only managed to retain a small number of them, the rest of pine species are all imported Slash Pines.