Flora of China

中国的植物群比北温带任何国家都丰富。虽然欧洲、美国大陆和中国的面积有些相似，但三个地区的物种比例约为1比2比3，因为中国有超过30，000种维管植物（占世界总数的12%），而美国和加拿大加起来约有20，000种，欧洲约有12，000种。《中国植物志》（The植物群of China，FOC）是一个国际合作项目，旨在出版第一本英文版的中国植物志。所有FOC账户都由非中国（主要是美国和欧洲）和中国科学家共同撰写。到2008年赠款结束时，该项目将出版50卷文本和插图中的32卷。FOC的所有科学描述、插图和地图都可以在密苏里州植物园（MBG）和哈佛大学植物标本馆（HUH）的网站上以电子方式获得。该项目有11个中心：MBG，HUH，加州科学院，史密森学会，皇家植物园（基尤，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。 FOC的研究对于了解北美和中国植物之间的现代关系非常重要，因为许多物种仅在这两个地区被发现。中国-北美间断分布区代表了曾经广泛分布的植物群的遗迹。FOC的知识对于理解北方半球的化石组成是必不可少的，因为中国的活植物代表了许多仅从北美和欧洲的化石记录中了解的属。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。在主席之友期间，将不断努力查明受威胁和濒危物种以及一些时间没有收集到的物种。FOC中的信息对于正确管理中国的植物资源是必不可少的。主席之友的信息是培训学生和青年科学家的重要教育资源。植物学、医学、园艺学和其他领域的学生会发现FOC是一个有价值的参考。这个更广泛的项目通过访问中国的机构和实地研究为美国学生和年轻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，接受FOC账户的培训和工作。最后，中国拥有比世界上任何其他国家都多的药用植物，这些植物被积极交易和使用。整个植物群中约有23%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。

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 this grant in 2008, the Project will have published more than 32 of the 50 volumes of text and illustrations. All scientific descriptions, 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. Study of the FOC is important for understanding modern relationships between the plants of 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 living plants in China represent many genera that are known only from fossil records in North America and Europe. 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 broader 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.