Flora of China

中国是北温带植物区系最丰富的国家。虽然欧洲、美国大陆和中国的地区有些相似，但这三个地区的物种比例约为1:2比3，因为中国有3万多种维管植物（占世界总数的12%），而美国和加拿大加起来约为2万种，欧洲约为1.2万种。《中国植物志》（FOC）是一个国际合作项目，旨在出版第一本中国植物的英文处理。所有FOC账户都是由非中国（主要是美国和欧洲）和中国科学家共同撰写的。到2004年底，该项目将出版50卷文本和插图中的21卷。在密苏里植物园（MBG）和哈佛大学植物标本馆（HUH）的网站上，所有出版的治疗方法、插图和FOC地图都可以通过电子方式获得。该项目共有11个研究中心：MBG、HUH、加州科学院、史密森学会、皇家植物园（邱园，爱丁堡）、国家自然历史博物馆（巴黎）以及北京、昆明、南京和广州的植物研究所。这些机构在其优秀的图书馆和丰富的中国植物收藏方面相互补充，并交换资料和文献。由于许多物种仅在北美和中国这两个地区发现，因此研究FOC对了解北美和中国之间的现代植物区系关系具有重要意义。中国-北美的断层代表了一种曾经广泛分布的植物群的遗迹。由于许多仅从北美和欧洲的化石记录中了解的属在中国有活的成员代表，因此了解FOC对了解北半球的化石组成至关重要。中国仍然严重依赖木材作为能源，其木材工业的30%用于家庭取暖和烹饪。这导致了中国大部分地区严重的森林砍伐，并将许多物种推向灭绝的边缘。在FOC期间，将不断努力确定受威胁和濒危物种以及有一段时间未收集的物种。FOC中的信息对中国植物资源的合理管理至关重要。FOC中的信息是培养学生和青年科学家的重要教育资源。植物学、医学、园艺和其他领域的学生会发现FOC是一个有价值的参考资料。该项目通过访问中国科研机构和实地考察，为美国学生和青年科学家提供培训机会。它还支持许多中国学生和年轻植物学家访问美国和欧洲，为FOC项目提供培训和工作。最后，中国的药用植物数量比世界上任何其他国家都要多。大约23%的植物群具有药用价值。然而，直到最近，中草药才在西方受到越来越多的关注。

Abstract China has a richer Flora than any other country in the North Temperate Zone. Although the areas of Europe, continental United States, and China are somewhat similar, the ratio of species in the three areas is about 1 to 2 to 3, as China has more than 30,000 species of vascular plants (or 12% of the world's total), compared with about 20,000 species in the United States and Canada combined, and about 12,000 species in Europe. The Flora of China (FOC) is a collaborative international project to publish the first English language treatment of Chinese plants. All FOC accounts are jointly co-authored by non-Chinese (mostly American and European) and Chinese scientists. By the end of 2004, the Project would have published 21 of the 50 volumes of text and illustrations. All published treatments, illustrations, and maps of FOC are available electronically on the websites of the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG) and Harvard University Herbaria (HUH). The project has eleven centers: MBG, HUH, California Academy of Sciences, Smithsonian Institution, Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew, Edinburgh), Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle (Paris), and the institutes of botany in Beijing, Kunming, Nanjing, and Guangzhou. These institutions complement each other in their excellent libraries and rich collections of Chinese plants and, they exchange material and literature. Study of the FOC is important for understanding modern floristic relationships between North America and China because numerous species are found only in these two areas. The Chinese-North American disjunctions represent remains of a once widespread flora. Knowledge of FOC is essential for understanding the fossil composition in the Northern Hemisphere because many genera that are known only from fossil records in North America and Europe are represented by living members in China. China still heavily depends on timber as energy sources, and 30% of its timber industry is used for household heating and cooking. This led to serious deforestation in most of China and has pushed numerous species to the brink of extinction. Consistent efforts will be made during the course of FOC to identify threatened and endangered species and those that have not been collected for some time. The information in FOC is essential for the proper management of the plant resources of China. The information in FOC is an important educational resource for use in training students and young scientists. Students in botany, medicine, horticulture, and other fields will find FOC a valuable reference. The Project provides training opportunities for American students and young scientists through visits to Chinese institutions and field studies. It is also supporting the visits to the United States and Europe of many Chinese students and young botanists to train and work on FOC accounts. Finally, China has a higher number of medicinal plants that are actively traded and used than any other country in the world. About 23% of the entire Flora has medicinal properties. Only recently, however, has Chinese herbal medicine received increased attention in the West.