Geographical Review of Japan Vol. 62 (Ser. B), No. 2, 116-126, 1990

Vegetation of Yunnan and Hainan Provinces, China

Hajinle MAKITA* and Hiroyoshi CHUJO**

Abstract

From the viewpoint of floristic geography, Yunnan and Hainan like other areas in South China are transitional areas between Holarctic and Palaeotropic Floral Kingdoms. Accordingly, plants of both floral kingdoms are mixed together. Besides, there are many indigenous taxa of plant. Physical conditions, especially in Yunnan, are very complicated; local differences in habitats are great. Thus, various types of plant communities are found from tropical rain forest to arctic vegeta tion in summit areas. Special interest is paid to sclerophyllous oaks and their communities.

Key words: South China, vegetation.

Fujian Province) of the China-Japanese Forest I. FLORA OF YUNNAN AND Plant Sub-region. HAINAN PROVINCES The palaeotropical area in the south of the boundary is called the Malaysia Plant Sub I-1 Floral regions region, consisting of the Dian-Mian-Dai District Yunnan and Hainan Provinces, along with (mid-reach region of the Nujiang (Salween), the those southern Chinese regions such as Guangxi Mekong and the Yuanjiang in the southwestern Autonomous Region, Guangdong and Taiwan part of Yunnan), the Beibu Bay District (Guang Provinces, constitute transitional areas from the xi Autonomous Region south of the Zhujiang Holarctic to the Palaeotropic Floral Kingdoms. and Guangdong Province), the Nanhai District According to Phytogeography of China, Vol. (Nanhai Islands including Haanan Is.) and the 1(1983), the boundary between both kingdoms Taiwan District (Taiwan Province). runs from the neighborhood of Mt. Gaoli Gong That is, the southern part of Yunnan and the shan near the national border to Myammar in whole of Hainan belong to the Palaeotropic western Yunnan, through Wenshan City in Yun Floral Kingdom and the northern half of Yun nan near the Vietnamese border and through the nan belongs to the Holarctic Floral Kingdom. mouth of the Zhu River in southern Guangdong TAKHTAJAN(1986) draws this kind of bound Provine, reaching the Taiwan Straits (Fig. 1). ary in almost the same area. In his case, however, On the north of this boundary lies the southern north of the boundary, including the greater part marginal area of the Holarctic Floral Kingdom. of Taiwan Province, is the Eastern Asiatic This area is divided into the Hengduan Range Region and south of it is the Indochinese Region District (southeastern half of the Qinghai consisting of the greater part of the Malaysian Tibetan Plateau, western half of Sichuan Peninsula, Indo-Chinese Peninsula and the Province and northwestern part of Yunnan western half of the Nanhai Islands. Province) and Yunnan Plateau District (the I-2 Taxa bounded by the boundary greater part of Yunnan north of the Yuanjiang (Honghe River) of China-Himalaya Forest Plant This boundary of the two floral kingdoms Sub-region, Dian-Qian-Gui District (western half delimits the distribution of holarctic taxa, of Guizhou Province and Guangxi Autonomous Fagaceae, Betulaceae, Juglandaceae, Salicaceae, Region) and Huanan District (Guangdong and etc., and Palaeotropical taxa, Dipterocarpaceae,

*College of Liberal Arts , Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Aomori 036. **College of International Studies , Chubu University, Kasugai, Aichi 487. Vegetation of Yunnan and Hainan Provinces, China 117

Figure 1. Floral regions of southern China

Ficus of Moraceae, Simaroubaceae, Euphorbia than 2,000m in elevation. ceae, Sapindaceae, etc. But, as these areas are I-3 Indigenous taxa and the relation with a transitional zone between two floral kingdoms, neighboring areas elements of both kingdoms are found in the same region according to the local habitat conditions, Both the large inland region of Yunnan such as thermal conditions varying with altitude. (380,000km2) and the small island of Hainan The dominant species of mountainous forest (32,200km2) are famous for the abundance of in Hainan, for instance, are holarctic fagaceous their plant species: families, genera and species trees such as Lithocarpus, Castanopsis and Cy are all rich in number in both areas as shown in clobalanopsis. Table 1. It is especially noteworthy that Hainan, In Yunnan, where landforms are more com in spite of its small size, has more than 2,400 spe plicated and relative relief is greater, plants of cies and Yunnan has nearly half of all the plant both kingdoms are mixed in a more complex way. In Xishuangbanna, which belongs to the Table 1 Number and share of plant taxa in Dian-Mian-Dai District of the Palaeotropic Yunnan and Hainan. Floral Kingdom, such summergreen trees as Pru nus, Betula and Quercus are often found on hil ly land of 800-1,000m in elevation, and secondary vegetaions of tops and ridges of hills are composed of those summergreen tree species in many cases. On the contrary, as mentioned below, because of the hot and dry conditions * from Vegetation of Yunnan along large valleys, Bauhinia and other tropical ** from Plant Geography Vol. 1 elements are found even around Dali City, which is located on holarctic Yunnan Plateau of more 118 H. MAKITA, and H. CHUJO

species growing in the whole Chinese territory. western (sub-dry) monsoon forest and rainforest At the same time, they are well known for their sub-region of the tropical monsoon forest and indigenous taxa. About 40% of Hainan's spe rainforest region. Hainan belongs to the eastern cies are said to be indigenous. More than 1,000 (sub-humid) monsoon forest and rainforest sub species (1010) are indigenous to Yunnan (Vege region of the last region. The names for these tation of Yunnan, 1987). regions and sub-regions are all taken from Vege From the viewpoint of commonness with tation of China (1980) neighboring areas, among all the species of Hai In the location of boundaries, extent of each nan, 70% are common to the Huanan area, 60% area and nomenclature, Chinese articles show to Vietnam, 58% to the Phillippines and 45% many differences from each other. Even com to Taiwan Province (Physical Geography of Chi paring articles dealing with vegetaion and for na, 1983; MASAMUNE,1975). This is caused by estry, those differences are fairly large. They the fact that Hainan is a continental island which should be made more consistent in the future. was separated from the continent during the Table 2 shows the main examples of vegetation Quaternary. While in Yunnan, as mentioned al land classifications as well as floral land clas above, the boundary of both floral kingdoms sifications of Yunnan and Hainan. runs from west to east, so that the area north II-2 Plant communities of Hainan of it has a high degree of commonness with the Qinghai-Tibetan and Himalayan Plateaus and Hainan Island is mainly covered with the ever the area south of it to India, Myammar and green monsoon forest, montane rainforest and Thailand. The southeastern part of Yunnan, savanna, accompanied with other vegetation however, has a high degree of commonness with types covering smaller areas, namely summit the Indo-Chinese Peninsula, especially with mossy scrub, montane evergreen forest and man Vietnam groves (Ministry of Forestry, Dept. of Survey and Planning, 1981). II PLANT COMMUNITIES OF Evergreen monsoon forest occupies the areas of more than 350m in elevation in the southern, YUNNAN AND HAINAN western, southwestern and northwestern parts of II-1 Vegetational regions the island where the alternation of rain and dry seasons is remarkable. Its upper limit varies lo The above-mentioned aboundary between cally from 950 to 1,200m in elevation. Compo floral kingdoms is almost parallel to a larger sition of tree species is rather simple, consisting vegetational boundary (Fig. 2). The vegetation of evergreen Ebenacea and Lauracea as well as al region to the north of it is the subtropical ever deciduous elements such as. Gossampinus green broadleaved forest region and another to malabarica, Terminaria catappa, Arbizzia spp., the south is the tropical monsoon forest and rain Liquidamber formosana, etc. fairly large in num forest region (Vegetation of China, 1980). ber. Trees are not so large, 10-15m in height The northernmost part of Yunnan, Diging and 15-30cm in DBH. Human destruction of Zangzu Autonomous District, however, belongs this type is very severe. to the southeastern plateau cold-temperate Montane rainforest covers the warm and wet coniferous forest sub-region of the Qinghai southern part of the island to a large extent. Ver Tibetan Plateau cold-alpine vegetation region . tically, the distribution of this type is the same The easternmost part of Yunnan, Zhaotong Dis as the last one. Along with tropical elements such trict, belongs of the eastern (humid) evergreen as Dipterocarpaceae, Sterculiaceae, Sapindaceae broadleaved forest sub-region and the central and Ficus of Morceae, holarctic fagaceous ever part of the norhtern half of Yunnan belongs to green trees dominate the forest. Also conifers the western (semihumid) evergreen broadleaved such as Podocarpus inbricatus, Dacridium pier forest subregion of the subtropical evergreen ri, etc. are found. This type is a forest of large broadleaved forest region. The southern part of size trees of 25-30m in height and 50-80cm Yunnan, on the other hand, belongs to the in DBH. A large number of trees has buttress Vegetation of Yunnan and Hainan Provinces, China 119

Figure 2. Vegetational regions of southern China

roots, and cauliflowery and lianas are often and deciduous trees such as Gossampinus found. A canopy is composed of three layers of malabarica, Syzygium spp., Quercus acutissima, which the uppermost one is the emergent layer etc., can hardly be found because of the human with scattering trees. Bamboos and large herba influences. Like similar vegetation in Yunnan, ceous plants compose layers on the forest floor. induced cactus, Opuntia dillenii, is often found In spite of these tropical characters, we can find in a wild state. some transitional characters to the holarctic Summit mossy scrub is a kind of cloud forests laurel-leaved forest, i. e. the large number of Cy which occur aound the tops of mountains above clobalanopsis, Castanopsis and Lithocarpus of ca. 1,000m, containing Cyclobalanopsis and Fagaceae in the canopy. Castanopsis as well as Lauraceae, Rhododen Savanna is found in the arid southern part of dron, etc. A thick moss layer develops every the island below 250m in elevation. Typical where like cushons. Trees are stunted and small savanna, with grass such as Imperata cylindrica in size with heights of 3-5m. 120 H. MAKITA, and H. CHUJO

Table 2 Comparison of vegetational and floral regions concerning Yunnan and Hainan.

(I): first grade regional unit (II): second grade regional unit. Translation of terms from Chinese terms is as follows:“regign(reg.)” from qu(区) and quyu(区 域), “sub-region(sub-reg.)" from yaqu

(亜 区)and yaquyu(亜 区 域),“zone”from dai'(帯),(“area'from didai(地 帯)"sub-"from pian(偏) and“semi-"from ban(半).

Montane evergreen forest is a dense forest ca, Terminaria catappa, etc. with some evergreen covering the area between 600 to 1,500m in ele elements of Ebenaceae, Ma/lotus spp., etc. vation containing Cyclobalanopsis and Mangroves are found along the coast around Lauraceae with Schima superba, Altingia obova the island especially in the northern part, but in ta, Podocarpus spp., etc. Height and DBH of a small area. trees are up to 15-30m and 20-40cm respec II-3 Plant communities of Yunnan tively. Although this type resembles Montane rain forest, Depterocarpaceae, Sterculiaceae and Yunnan is a broad province with a large altitu Sapindaceae are lacking here. dinal range from 130m in Hekou to 6,740m at Evergreen monsoon forest is distributed in dry the top of Mt. Meili Xueshan. World famous basins in the western and southwestern part of gigantic rivers such as the Salween, the Chang the island. It is dominated by such deciduous jiang (Yangtze), Mekong and Yuanjiang dig trees as Arbizzia spp., Gossampinus malabari large valleys through the province, making rela Vegetation of Yunnan and Hainan Provinces, China 121 tive relief enornous. Because of these conditions, Semihumid evergreen broadleaved forest is plant communities are far more various and found in the plateau region of central Yunnan complicated than on Hainan. from 1,700 to 2,500m a. s.l. As the distribution Here, the main communities will be cited quot area of this type is at the core of human activi ing mainly Vegetation of Yunnan (1987) and ties in this province, human impact on this type CHEN (1983). is very severe. Rainforest is a forest type of large size with Midmontane humid evergreen broadleaved trees of 30-50m in height and nearly 100cm forest occupies the area between 1,500 and 2,900 in DBH, occurring in the deep area in the m in elevation from Mt. Ailaoshan, Mt. southern part of the province. It is divided into Wuliangshan, etc. in the central plateau region the following three sub-types. to the northern high plateau region adjacent to Humid rainforest is small in extent, restricted Sichuan Province. to the lowland below 500m in elevation like He Comparison of these three types is shown in kou. This type of forest corresponds to tropical Table 3. Along with the species composition, ar rainforest occurrring in the humid tropics in boreal lianas, bamboos and moss layers are no Southeast Asia, composed of many kinds of ticed as points of classification. tropical trees such as Dipterocarpaceae, Sclerophyllous evergreen broadleaved forest, Moraceae, Spindaceae, Meliaceae, and so on. a peculiar forest type, dominated by sclerophyl Buttress roots, cauliflowery and lianas are abun lous oaks, is found in this province. It has two dant. Seasonal fall of tree leaves is not observed. sub-types: the one is the cool-temperate montane Seasonal rainforest is larger in extent and wide sclerophyllous evergreen oak forest occurring in ly found in the southern part of Yunnan. the area from 2,600-3,000m a. s. l., and the Although it is essentially evergreen, a few decid other is the dry-hot valley sclerophyllous ever uous trees such as Tetrameles nudiflora are green oak forest found in the area below 2,600 characteristic to this type. Evergreen seasonal m down to 1,500m in elevation. They will be forest (Ricards 1966) is similar to this type. discussed in the next section. Montane rainforest has an intermediate charc Yunnan has so-called temperate conifers such teristic between the tropical forest and evergreen as Pinus, Calocedrus, Keteleeria, Curessus, broadleaved forest out of the tropical areas. It Taiwania, Cunnighamia and Pseudotsuga, which occupies the areas of 800-1,000m in elevation occur in subtropical, warm-temperate and cool and reaches to 1,500-1,800m in especially temperate zones. Among them, especially, Pinus warm locations. The share of tropical elements forests cover a large extent of the whole province is ca. 60% and the elements of laurel-leaved and are valuable as a timber resource. forest such as Castanopsis, Lithocarpus, Schi Warm-hot coniferous forest is represented by ma, etc. are also found. That is, this type is a forests dominated by "Simao pine" (Pinus mixed forest of both tropical and holarctic kesiya var. langibianensis). These forests cover elements. the area from 850 to 1,500m in elevation cen Evergreen broadleaved forest is so-called tering on southwestern Yunnan. Beside pines, laurel-leaved forest dominated by such trees as evergreen trees as Schima, Castanopsis, etc. and Fagaceae, Theceae, Magnoliaceae, lauraceae, deciduous trees as Quercus, Betula, etc. are etc. Although the situation of this type in Chinese found. The canopy, however, is dominated articles is subtropical, whether this type is sub almost only by pine trees and the physiognomy tropical or warm-temperate should be decided is of a pure pine forest. only after a general view of East-Asiatic forest Warm-temperate coniferous forest is represent vegetation is obtained. ed by forests dominated by "Yunnan pine" (Pi Among the evergreen broadleaved forest there nus yunnanensis). This type of forest occupies are the following three sub-types. the area from central Yunnan northward to Monsoon evergreen broadleaved forest occurs Sichuan Province in the area from 1,500 to 3,000 in the lower southern part of Yunnan from 1,000 m a. s. l. Like Simao pine forest it is physiognom to 1,500m in elevation. ically a pure pine forest containing evergreen 122 H. MAKITA , and H. CHUJO

Table 3 Differential points of evergreen broadleaved forests in Yunnan.

(from Vegetation of Yunnan) Vegetation of Yunnan and Hainan Provinces, China 123 oaks as Cyclobalanopsis and Lithocarpus, decid uous trees as Alnus nepalensis, Quercus varia bilis, etc. and, occasionally in high altitude, sclerophyllous oaks as Quercus pannosa etc. In the area of high elevation, temperate coniferous forest occurs. This type has two sub types, the cool-temperate coniferous forest domi nated by Tsuga dumosa and Pinus densata and the cold-temperate coniferous forest dominated by Picea likiangensis, Abies spp. and Larix potaninii. The former is found in the area from 1,800 to 2,900m a. s .l. accompanied with Schi ma, Lithocarpus, Cyclobalanopsis and other evergreen trees and is rich in Rhododendron spe cies. The latter occurs on the high,mountain area in northern Yunnan from 2,700 to 4,100m in elevation, forming a forest line. Along with conifers, Rhododendron spp. and Quercus pan nosa are found, and a bamboo, Sinarundinaria sp., often grows on the forest floor. In Yunnan, like in Hainan, savanna type grassy shrub occurs widely. It has been argued whether the origin of this type of vegetation is artificial or natural. The greater part, however, is believed Figure 3. Altitudinal distribution of plant communi to be caused by deforestation and burning. This ties in Yunnan and Hainan type generally develops on the valley floor and lower valley slope along valleys of the Nujiang and the Yuanjiang, is especially very specific. It is said that the dry and hot summer along these valleys is the main physical habitat condition of this type of vegetation. As shrubs Gossampinus malabarica, Ficus semicordata, Fraxinus malacophylla, Dodonea viscosa, etc. and as grasses Heteropogon con tortus, Themeda hookeri, Cymbopogon distans, etc. are abundant. Iris and so on. Altitudinal belts of Yunnan along Along valleys with increasing altitude, similar with that for Hainan are shown in Fig. 3. types from hot savanna-like shrubby grassland, II-4 Sclerophyllous oak communities in Yunnan warm-hot savanna-like shrubby grassland, to warm-temperate savanna-like shrubby grassland As briefly cited above, Yunnan has sclerophyl appear. Each type is under the influence of graz lous oak communities. Cool-temperate montane ing and many "cattle terraces" are found on sclerophyllous evergreen oak forest, the sub-type slopes. Cactus and succulent plants of Euphor for higher areas, has various kinds of commu biaceae are rich in number. nities dominated by Q. pannosa, Q. guayavaefo Cold-temperate grassland covers the area lia, Q. longispica and Q. aquifolioides. Dry-hot above the forest line up to 4,500m a.s.l. This valley sclerophyllous evergreen oak forest, the type is dominated by such grasses as Festuca, sub-type for lower area, also has some kinds of Calamagrostis, etc. accompanied with forbs as communities dominated by Q. coniferoides, Q. Ranunculus, Parnassia, Polygonum, Gentiana, franchetii and Q. rehderiana accompanied some Sausurea, Primula, etc. and monocotyledons like times by Q. spatulata. 124 H. MAKITA, and H. CHUJO

Communities of the former sub-type can be sa scrub is widely found on grazed moraines and fairly large in size, with trees 16-22m in height on deforested valley slopes. In the suburbs of and 30-40cm in DBH. Those of the latter sub Kunming city secondary vegetation of Q. fran type, on the contrary, are smaller in size with chetii is often found along with that of decidu height of less than 10m in general. ous Q. variabilis. Both sub-types occur not only as natural vege It is always said that sclerophyllous oaks are tation but as secondary vegetation after specific to the Mediterraneal climate with a dry deforestation, grazing and burning. In the high and hot summer and humid and cool (not cold) mountain area in northern Yunnan, Q, panno winter. However, the climatic conditions of the

Figure 4. Altitudinal distribution of oaks (Quercus and Vegetation of Yunnan and Hainan Provinces, China 125 distirbution area of Chinese sclerophyllous oaks near glaciers and some are found in tropical ever are not at all Mediterranean. In China, nearly green forest (Arboreal flora of China, 1985). The 30 species of sclerophyllous oaks have been maximum precipitation, however, is not in recorded, and they are found not only in Yun winter but in summer and no remarkable dry sea nan but in Sichuan, Guizou, Shanxi and Qinghai son exists. Provinces as well as in Xizang Autonomous Fig. 4 shows the altitudinal ranges of Region and many other provinces. The range of sclerophyllous, deciduous and evergreen lu climatic conditions of their habitats is very wide, cidophyllous (or laurel-leaved) oaks collected in from very cold to very warm. Some are found the herbarium of the Kunming Institute of Bota ny, Academia Sinica. It is remarkable that two groups can be found in sclerophyllous oaks: one is specific to high altitudes and the other to low altitudes. Their boundary elevation is about 2,000m a. s. l. The altitudinal range of the latter is similar to that of evergreen lucidophyllous oaks. The range of deciduous oaks covers those of the others. Out of China, sclerophyllous Q. semecarpifo lia and Q. baloot have been recorded in Nepal and Afghanistan (SCHWEINFURTH,1957; KITAMURA,1960) connecting the habitat of Chinese oaks to Mediterranean counterparts. Thus oaks in Yunnan have a very interesting sit uation for the study of evolution and diffusion of Quercus and Cyclobalanopsis.

Acknowledgements

The authors are heartily grateful for the help of the Chinese colleagues, especially to Prof. FEND Yaozong and Associate Prof. ZHANG Keying at Kunming Institute of Ecology, Academia Sinica, Prof. HAO Yonglu at the South China Academy of Tropical Crop Science, Prof. CHEN Shukun at Kunming Institute of Botany, Acade mia Sinica and Prof. JIANG Ailiang at the Commission for Integrated Survey of Natural Resources, Academia Sinica. (Received Oct. 14, 1989) (Accepted Jan. 15, 1990)

References

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