Tropical Component of the Moss Flora of China

View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Hochschulschriftenserver - Universität Frankfurt am Main 201 Tropical Bryology 2: 201-222, 1990 Tropical component of the Moss Flora of China Paul L. Redfearn, Jr. Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri 65804-009 In many ways, it is presumptuous for me Forsstroemia (Stark 1987), Gollania to speak on the mosses of the tropical (Higuchi 1985) or Fissidens (Li 1985) regions of China. Many consider the appear to have had only those collections knowledge about the taxonomy, ecology, from China for study that were available and geography of tropical bryophytes in herbaria outside of China. The cause for inadequate (Pócs 1982; Schuster 1983; this probably rests with the difficulty of Richards 1984), and this is certainly the borrowing material from Chinese herbaria. case for the bryophytes of the tropical Even when specimens are loaned by regions of China. The taxonomy of Chinese herbaria the borrower gets only a Chinese taxa is generally in a state of small sample of what may be present. disarray. Early workers, both Chinese and Herbaria I have visited in China have others, have tended to describe new huge backlogs of unprocessed or species based upon minor or inconse- unidentified collections. In many cases quential morphological characters and wi- these collections come from significant thout apparent reference to related taxa regions such as western Sichuan, Yunnan found outside of China. This is clear from and the tropical regions of Xizang (Tibet). recent monographic studies that compared Chinese taxa with taxa throughout the It is only fair to point out that our Chinese world. For example, Su (1988) in his colleagues have worked under conditions studies of Homaliodendron reduced the that most of us would not tolerate. First, taxa of this genus for southeast Asia from they have had to endure the problems of over eighteen to four. Similar synonymi- isolation from the West during the cultural zing has occurred in Forsstroemia (Stark revolution when most, if not all scholars, 1987), Mniaceae (Koponen 1981), were assigned tasks completely unrelated Grimmia and Schistidum (Cao & Vitt to their interests or training such a working 1986) and the Calymperaceae (Lin & in the rice fields, building dams, mining Reese 1989). Furthermore, monographers coal, or being 'barefoot' doctors. During of groups have not always been able to this period the survival of libraries and study adequate collections from China as collections was accomplished only by the for example, Noguchi’s (1976) revision heroic action of teachers and students. of the Meteoriaceae or Nyholm’s (1971) And, collecting in China is not always studies on the genus Atrichum. Even recent easy. Travel is difficult to arrange, monographic or revisionary studies such provisions for drying and preservation of as those on Leucodon (Akiyama 1988), collections are inadequate, and Trachyloma (Miller & Manuel 1982), transportation of collections from the point Glossadelphus (Tixier 1988), Entodon (Hu of collection to the place of study is often 1983), Ctenidium (Nishimura 1985), delayed. Transit periods of from six to 203 twelve months are not uncommon. evergreen forests of subtropical and tropical zones. This plant community is Finally, China is a large and diverse extensively developed in Sichuan and country and the number of bryology southern China. Little is known about the students are few by European and North bryophytes of these bamboo forests and I American standards. There are many areas will not attempt to discuss this type of that need intensive study and this most community. certainly includes the tropical region of China. Those of us from the West that A second type of tropical plant community have been able to collect in limited areas in is the Tropical broad- leaved semi- China are finding new species (Reese & evergreen forests. This community is Lin 1989) or taxa new to China (Redfearn extensively developed in southwestern et al 1989; Vitt personal communication). Guangxi, Xishuangbanna in Yunnan and Although Chinese bryologists are busy Guangdong. These forests have a dry today working on the bryophyte flora of season and as the dry season becomes less China, such studies are not high on the list distinct they become more and more similar of government priorities. Even so, floras to the Tropical Rain Forests discussed for specific provinces or regions have below. These semi-evergreen seasonal been prepared, such as the Flora of Xizang, forests differ from tropical rain forests in and the floras of Yunnan, Hainan, and several characteristics (Hou 1983). Trees Sichuan provinces are currently in of the upper layers are lower and very few preparation. Unfortunately, these floras of the larger trees are buttressed. Lianas have been or are being prepared without a and epiphytes are less abundant. In solid base of taxonomic studies of the Xishuangbanna and Guangxi these forests Chinese taxa. are found on calcareous soils. However, on western Hainan Island, this type of Ecological studies of tropical bryophytes forest occurs on acid soils. in China are essentially lacking. This is due, in part, to a lack of training, equipment, The third type of tropical vegetation is the and time. Many of the present bryologists Tropical broad- leaved evergreen rain in China received their education during forest. Located on the eastern sides of the cultural revolution when the study of Hainan and Tawain islands, in mathematics was considered unnecessary southeastern Yunnan Province, and in the and when they were isolated from the extreme part of southwestern Tibet, these exciting developments occurring in forests are characterized by a climate that ecology elsewhere. is moisture saturated throughout the year. Evergreen trees in the families Moraceae, With these problems in mind, I will review Myrtaceae, Annonaceae, Apocyanaceae, for you what is known, and which is Sterculiaceae, Sapotaceae, surely only a fraction of what is to be Dipterocarpaceae, Meliaceae, learned, about the mosses of tropical China Sapindaceae, Proteaceae, and Fagaceae and to suggest how our knowledge might are present. Many reach giant size, exhibit be significantly increased in the next plank- buttresses and cauliflory, and are decade. usually clothed with ferns, mosses and liverworts, and epiphytes belonging to the Tropical plant communties in China Araceae and the Orchidaceae. There are three types tropical plant com- All of these forests, except those in Taiwan, munities in China (Hou 1983) found in lie within the Indochinese Region China (Fig. 1). One type is the Bamboo (Takhtajan 1986). Hainan Island, southern 210 Yunnan and Guangxi, and the coastal recorded for Yunnan Province. One regions of Guangdong are included in his hundred and sixty-six (12.5%) taxa are South Chinese Province. The tropical recorded for Guangdong Province. One region of Taiwan occurs on the southern hundred and nineteen (9.1%) are recorded peninsula of Hengchun and is included in from Hainan Province. Only 54 (4.1%) the Philippinean Province of the Malesian taxa are recorded from Guangxi Province. Region. The largest number of taxa , 831 (66.1%), are recorded from Taiwan. A comparison Mosses of the tropical regions of China of these figures with the number of taxa specifically recorded from tropical regions Except for a preliminary list of the mosses indicates how little is known. Only 189 of Hainan Island by Tan, Li & Lin (1987), taxa are known specifically from there are no published studies that list the Xishuangbanna, 119 taxa from Hainan mosses found specifically in the tropical Island and 55 taxa (mostly acrocarpous) regions of China . There is a recent index are known from Hengchun in Taiwan. to the mosses of Taiwan (Kuo & Chiang For the Medog area of Xizang, 421 taxa 1987), but this index understandably does are reported Wu & Lou (1981). A list of not delineate taxa found in the tropical rain these taxa has not been published. The forests. However, Chuang (1973) in his number of taxa for the Medog area may be Moss flora of Taiwan exclusive essentially low since at least one large collection of of pleurocarpous families, does cite 55 mosses from this area by Y.-G. Su has yet taxa from the Hengchun area where to be cataloged and identified. tropical rain forests occur. Consequently, the lists compiled for each of these regions Geographical Analysis of the mosses of is tentative and based upon collections tropical regions of China made by my colleagues and I in Xishuangbanna, from a few collections For the purpose of this analysis I have made by others, and the few published included only those taxa that have been records that specifically list localities in specifically cited in the literature as tropical regions. Moreover, it should be occurring in regions where tropical kept in mind that the identification of vegetation occurs [Hainan (Tan & Li, & collections made in Xishuangbanna by Lin 1987), Hengchun in Taiwan (Chuang Crosby, Magill, Wu, Lou, Wang and (1973), Xishuangbanna (Redfearn et al myself is far from complete. Koponen has 1989), and Medog in Xizang (Wu & Lou, also collected in Xishuangbanna but, as 1981] or have been found in recent field far as I know, a list of his collections has studies by myself and others in not been published. Xishuangbanna. This provides a total of 329 taxa (Table 1) upon which to base an Six provinces in China contain tropical analysis. In actual number this may be vegetation. These are Hainan, adequate but its sources, except for Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Tawain, Yunnan, come from a highly skewed taxonomic and Xizang. Excluding Xizang, which sample. The Taiwan sample is limited contains mostly high plateau and primarily to acrocarpous mosses and the mountainous regions, there are Xishuangbanna sample is based upon approximately 1352 taxa of mosses identifications in genera or families for recorded for these provinces.

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