ON GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE GENUS STIPA L.IN CHINA
中国针茅属植物的地理分布

The present paper deals with geographical distribution, ecological features and relation of vegetion types of the genus Stipa L. in China. In the genus 32 species 1 subspecies and 4 varietes are recognized in China. Following Wu's floristic regionalization, species of Stipa in China fall into six subkingdoms of the Holartic Kingdom, i.e. , the Asiatic desert subkingdom, Eurasian forest subkingdom, Qinghai-Xizang plateau subkingdom, Sino-Himalayan forest subkingdom, Eurasian steppe subkingdom, and the Sino-Japanese forest subkingdom. Based on the study of morphology, ecology and distribution patterns of the genus it becomes clear that Stipa is an important constituent of steppe vegetation. They are distributed mainly west of moist forest zone, and species of this genus are found in meadow steppe, typical steppe, desert steppe, and alpine steppe, with some species also found in forest-steppe zone and mountain steppe zone.