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Chinese plant life is estimated to include up to 30,000 species and extends from the Himalayan snow line across a diversity of habitats to the lush tropical south. It is embraced by a culture going back more than 3000 years, providing plants for medicinal use and some of the most valued horticultural species. Although for many years access to Chinese plants was limited, the present situation provides an opportunity for a new and authoritative assessment of such botanical treasure-houses as Yunnan and Sichuan.
The present book provides an overview of the subject and is fully referenced and indexed. It will be of interest to those working in agriculture, alternative medicine, plant conservation, ecology, genetics, horticulture, molecular biology and taxonomy.
List of contents
1. An Introduction to Chinese Plant Science.- 2. Landscape and Climate.- 3. Native Plant Distribution.- 4. From Domestication to the Arrival of the Western Plant Collectors.- 5. Trees.- 6. Shrubs and Climbers.- 7. Herbs.- 8. Alpines.- 9. Medicinal Plants and the Meeting of Two Traditions.- 10. Camellia.- 11. Anemone and Primula.- 12. Rhododendron.- 13. Rosa.- 14. Chinese Plant Diversity and Its Modern Literature.- 15. Conservation in Practice.- Appendices.- 1. A Summary of Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Tsao (1406).- 2. Botanic Gardens and Arboreta across China.- 3. Chinese Dynasties.- References.- Index of Classical Chinese Texts.- Taxonomic Index.- Author Index.- Sketch Map of China.
Summary
Chinese plant life is estimated to include up to 30,000 species and extends from the Himalayan snow line across a diversity of habitats to the lush tropical south. It is embraced by a culture going back more than 3000 years, providing plants for medicinal use and some of the most valued horticultural species. Although for many years access to Chinese plants was limited, the present situation provides an opportunity for a new and authoritative assessment of such botanical treasure-houses as Yunnan and Sichuan.
The present book provides an overview of the subject and is fully referenced and indexed. It will be of interest to those working in agriculture, alternative medicine, plant conservation, ecology, genetics, horticulture, molecular biology and taxonomy.
Additional text
From the reviews:
"The book gives access to interesting information which is hardly available from other sources such as medical use or a list of botanic gardens in China … . For students in China or foreign botanists intending a travel in China or seeking cooperation with China scientists, the book is … a helpful source of information." (Th. Stützel, Feddes Repertorium, Vol. 114 (3-4), 2003)
"This book is … a labour of love that distils the knowledge of plants in China of two scholars who have plenty of experience on the subject matter. … It covers a specialized niche and hence it mainly caters to readers with botanical training with a taxonomic bent, and with an interest in the highly divergent flora of a country with a long history of plant study and usage." (C. Y. Jim, China Quarterly, 2003)
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From the reviews:
"The book gives access to interesting information which is hardly available from other sources such as medical use or a list of botanic gardens in China ... . For students in China or foreign botanists intending a travel in China or seeking cooperation with China scientists, the book is ... a helpful source of information." (Th. Stützel, Feddes Repertorium, Vol. 114 (3-4), 2003)
"This book is ... a labour of love that distils the knowledge of plants in China of two scholars who have plenty of experience on the subject matter. ... It covers a specialized niche and hence it mainly caters to readers with botanical training with a taxonomic bent, and with an interest in the highly divergent flora of a country with a long history of plant study and usage." (C. Y. Jim, China Quarterly, 2003)
