Flora of Beijing: An Overview and Suggestions for Future Research

by Jinshuang Ma

Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225

by Quanru Liu

Department of Biology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 China

Published online November 19, 2002

Abstract

The current Flora of Beijing is reviewed, especially from the perspective of the standards of modern urban floras in western countries. The geography, land-use and population patterns, and vegetation of Beijing are discussed, as well as the history of Flora of Beijing. Beijing is situated in northern China where the vegetation is typical of the northern temperate region, with pine-oak mixed broad-leaved deciduous forests. However, this vegetation has been changed by long-term human activity, and today only secondary or man-made landscapes and forest fragments are found. Lists of selected species that compose the modern flora are presented, including native, endemic and semiendemic, cultivated, crop, and weed species. The data on native, endemic, cultivated, nonnative, and invasive species and weeds are reviewed, and relevant herbarium collections are noted. Finally, various issues that should be addressed for each species in future revisions of Flora of Beijing are discussed. These include native/nonnative status; scale and scope of distribution (including world, country, and state/county/town); conservation status; habitat and utilization information; detailed taxonomic information; and the inclusion of illustrations.