User:Marley556/sandbox

Introduction
China expands 9.60 million km2, with a geographical region including sub terrain tropical climates and high-altitude mountain areas. The expansive terrain of the China makes it home to millions of diverse plant species and sub-species. Environmental conditions range from humid, tropical, temperate, warm-temperate desert, and cold regions. China has roughly 30,000 species including many species indigenous to the region making protecting biodiversity imperative. China contributes to nearly one-tenth of all plant species on earth. Spatial discovery of plant species within China remains ongoing due to the vast landscape and lack of human population in remote areas. Herb species remain the most identifiable plant type in China, and ferns remain the least discovered plant form. Including a wide array of vascular and non-vascular plant types, China is home to several native species including, Camptotheca acuminta, Eucommia ulmoides, Davidia involucrata, Metasequoia glptostrobides, Cupressus duclouxiana, Cunninghamia lanceolata, Pseudodolarix amabilis, Fokienia hodinsii, Panax notginseng, and the Lycium chinese.

Origins of China, Vegetation Mapping
South China experiences heavy rainfall and long wet seasons, making the climate ideal for bamboo and rice growth. North China, by contrast, experiences limited rainfall and far less species diversification then the south. The Chinese landscape has undergone geographical shifts creating some of the most vital habitats the world. The topography of China changed when tectonic plate shifts developed the uplift of the Himalaya Mountain s and the Tibetan plateau. A result of changing topography altered the climate of inner China resulting in the deserts of the Xinjing region and the dry climates of north and northwest China China’s biodiversity today can be largely attributed back to 13,000 years ago marking the end of a global ice age. A large portion of China was not covered with the same layer of ice as Eurasia and North America, allowing species prior to the ice age to survive well past the freezing period. China spans 50 degrees of latitude, and 62 degrees of longitude, with an average temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit and annual rainfall of 80 inches.

China contains a vast array of vascular and non-vascular plants characterized by climate and soil type. Vegetation distribution is dependent on temperatures of each region. Temperate coniferous and deciduous forests along with tropical and seasonal rainforests contribute to most of the vegetation activity. Within the subtropical region of China, broadleaf trees and evergreen conifer trees are grown at high proportions mapping a large extent of the native forested areas. Within the Savanna regions dense shrub land and non-vascular species represent a large portion of the vegetation mapping. The least populated regions of China include the temperate desert as climate conditions do not yield favorable conditions for plant growth and flora diversification. Tropical monsoon rainforests present the highest rate of biodiversity.

A high proportion of China’s plants are endemic to the region compromising of 52.1% of the total vegetation. The richest distribution of plants is spread across the Mountains of Southwest China, Mountains of Central Asia, Yangtze River, Indo-Burma, and the Himalaya. The most common species types found within China include: Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Ranunculaceae, Poaceae, Lamiaceae, Orchidaceae, and Liliaceae. A disproportioned number of Chinese plant species are endemic to regions of the country creating risk of extinction by industrial development and population growth.

Vascular Plant Species-Ferns and Flowering Plants
Vascular Plant Species- Ferns and Flowering Plants

Vascular plants are characterized by their ability to move minerals and water throughout the plant as a function of photosynthesis.

China is home to roughly 31362 vascular plant species, spanning both tropical and subtropical climates. Common vascular plant categories located within China include Pteridophyte, Gymnosperm, and Angiosperm. Vascular plant distribution is dictated by precipitation, annual temperature, elevation, and water deficits. Vascular plant genus types found within China include Acanthaceae, Amaranthaceae, Apocynaceae, Araliaceae, Betulaceae, Boraginaceae, Cannabaceae, Caprifoliaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Compositae, Corsiaceae, Cruciferae. China has effectively conserved about 65% of all vascular plant species, with 60% remaining in nature reserves and national parks.

Ferns belonging to the vascular plant family, remain one of the most important species to Chinese culture and food production. Common regional fern types include: Selaginella Nipponica, Asplenium Capillipes, Tectaria Coadunata, Neocheropteris Ovata, Pteris Gallinopes, Loxogramma Duclouxii,  Diplazium Wichurae, Polystichum Piceopaleaceum, Lepisorus Scolopendrium, Selliguea Ebenipes, and Asplenium Trichomanes. Ferns in Chinese history have been documented as a valuable vascular plant species for 3000 years.

Flowering plants, similar to the fern family, have a long history in culture, medicine, and trade within Chinese history. The Chinese rose for example, has been cultivated in China for 5000 years, and remains a highly desired commodity of trade. Along with the Chinese rose, lilies, plum blossoms, camellia, azalea, and magnolia, all remain popular species to be cultured regionally and sold on an international scale.



Non-Vascular Plant Species-Mosses, Fungi, Liverworts, and Lichens
China is home to several non-vascular plant species, including 1,789 edible and 798 medicinal fungi types. Fungi distribution is uneven within China, with regions in the Northwest territory attributing for 30% of all fungi within the nation. South Central China and Southwest China account for less than 5% of all fungi species in the nation. Differences in fungi distribution can be attributed to precipitation differences and fluctuations. Fungi play an important role in China’s global economy as the world’s largest mushroom producer. Fungi has been incorporated into Chinese diets since the Tang Dynasty (600-900 CE). Along with diet and nutritional benefits fungi in China have bolstered economic trade and provided secure employment for farm workers.

Mosses and liverworts within China can be classified into several sub-species groups. Andreaeacea, Archidiaceae, Bryoxiphiaceae, Dicranaceae, Ditrichaceae, Leucobryaceae, Seligeriaceae, and Sphagnaceae. Within China, mosses and liverworts grow most abundantly within boral temperate regions, surviving in high and low altitudes.

Lichen species are as diversified in China as mosses and fungi, mainly existing within covered forests and damp environments. Lichens are responsible for maintaining various ecosystems and animal life. The Ailao Mountains host more epiphytic lichen diversity than anywhere else on the planet. Lichens are of particular importance in Chinese culture and used frequently in beverages, food, and medicine. Lichens have historically been used as food during times of famine and as agents of food preparation.

Plant Use in Chinese Culture
Throughout the centuries, Chinese people have incorporated flroa into food, spices, trade, and medicine. Several native Chinese plant species can now be found around the world, as frequently traded commodities and as herbal remedies. Among the most crucial to Chinese customs and diet remains the grasses, Oryza, Triticum, Hordeum, and Zea. Bamboo remains of equal importance to the grasses as a useful resource in making paper, furniture, building, and ornaments. Medicinal remedies have emerged from China for thousands of years due to the region's proximity to trade routes and biodiversity availability. Early reports of Chinese medicinal remedies date back to half a million years ago during the prehistoric era. During the Han dynasty, plant use involved in pharmacology was extensively documented in the Chinese historical text Si Gi. The Han dynasty produced several texts indicating plant usage as a fundamental aspect of culture and medicine. Herbal remedies documented throughout Chinese literature have been noted for their effectiveness both on the physical body and the mind. China adopts a holistic approach to health that includes the usage of plants for biomedicine and traditional remedies.

Remedies may include tonics, mixtures, or powders and can be incorporated into both traditional and biomedicine. Plant treatments vary in usage and purpose.

On a global scale Chinese plant usage has been linked to advances in medicine across the world, and as a valuable commodity in economic trade, “traditional medicine through ethnobotanical research have proved useful for the development of new drugs used for treating cancer, malaria, Alzheimer disease, HIV/AIDS and other disease."

Widely practiced Chinese treatments include Agrimonia Pilosa, a dry root harvested in summer which provides hemostatic, and antidysenteric properties. Alangium chinese can be utlilised as a muscle relaxant. Chaihu, Radix Bupleuri, a dry root, crushed can be used to treat fevers, malaria, and various mental disorders. The usages expand from pharmaceutical treatments, to religious usage and extends to cosmetic.

Apart from medicinal and trading usages, Chinese flora has been symbolic in many cultural ceremonies and has been symbolic in a variety of artistic contexts. Flowering plants have been used for ceremonial purposes and depicted throughout art since the Han dynasty. The lotus flower, for example, has symbolized purity for Chinese women over the centuries, while the wild apple blossom depicted in Chinese art traditionally represents the beauty of women.

Rare and Endangered Species in China
China has established varies in-situ conservatorship areas, national parks, and protected sanctuaries to order to protect the plant diversity across the nation. The nation includes a variety of species only grown within the region, “China has 35,112 native species of higher plants, and the percentage of endemic species for seed plants in China is 53.7%.” China has adopted a List of Rare and Endangered Protected Plants in China list ordering the protection of vascular and non-vascular plants within various regions. There are 4408 target listed species and 3782 plant species listed as threatened according to Chinese records. Within the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 388 are considered vascular plants and are graded by vulnerable,  endangered and rare. The endangered species are classified further into extinct, extinct in the wild, and regionally extinct. While evaluating the entire Chinese plant ecosystem remains a challenge, it is estimated that forty species are now completely extinct as of 2020. Engendered plant distribution is found within virtually every region; however, the highest rate of endangered plants occurs in the southwestern region, Hainan islands, and the mountainous regions of Taiwan (Zhang et al. 2015). South China contains the highest number of endangered plant species while East, North, and northwestern China have relatively few.

Cycadaceae remains the plant group highest on the spectrum for possibility of extinction, closely followed by Taxaceae. The main contributing factor to flora extinction remains deforestation and urban development in China’s industrial expansion efforts. Farming practices, fisheries, and road network sites further the degradation of China’s natural wilderness and thus drive extinction. Other factors contributing to the degradation of native Chinese plant types includes invasive species and climate change.

Beyond the unrecoverable extinction of species, habitats, and biodiversity, vegetation degradation is limiting global trade. Chinese wild herbal resources are reported to be decreasing at a rate of 30%, while demand continues to climb. At the same time 80% of demanded plant medicine is unable to meet current market demands.