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Article

The Introduction of Chinese Plants into the United States: The 1898–1949 Period

1
College of Landscape Architecture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
2
Institute of Ecological Civilization & Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Histories 2026, 6(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories6010020
Submission received: 23 December 2025 / Revised: 9 February 2026 / Accepted: 19 February 2026 / Published: 25 February 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Environmental History)

Abstract

Since the 19th century, the United States has continuously conducted plant introductions from around the world to expand high-quality germplasm resources for agriculture and horticulture. Beginning in 1898, China—shaped by millennia of agrarian civilization and characterized by exceptionally rich biodiversity—became a key focus of these efforts. To clarify the historical trajectory of the introduction of plants originating in China into the U.S., this study compiles the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction series Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported (The Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported is a serial publication compiled by the SPI since 1898, documenting plant introduction activities of the United States worldwide. The original volumes and their digitized versions are publicly accessible through the USDA National Agricultural Library (NAL) Digital Collections. These archival records constitute the primary source of the historical plant-introduction data used in this study.) and synthesizes the history of introductions from 1898 to 1949; after verifying and analyzing the composition and selectivity of introduced taxa in terms of scientific nomenclature, spatiotemporal distribution, collectors, taxonomic structure, and plant uses, we find that 23,890 introduction records were documented, encompassing 159 families, 869 genera, and 2252 species, spanning 34 provincial-level administrative regions and 230 prefecture-level cities in China, with more than 566 collectors participating over nearly half a century, among whom F. N. Meyer, J. F. Rock, P. H. Dorsett, W. J. Morse, and F. A. McClure made particularly prominent contributions. Plant introductions from China enriched U.S. germplasm collections, expanded the genetic and functional diversity of U.S. plant resources, and reshaped the composition of agricultural and landscape systems.

1. Introduction

Plant introduction is one of the core driving forces behind the global migration of biological resources, agricultural development, and horticultural innovation (Holland 2008). Since the Age of Discovery, plant hunters and explorers have played the role of “green Columbuses,” transferring species of economic or ornamental value from their native ranges to other parts of the world, thereby reshaping global patterns of crop cultivation, enriching national palettes of garden plants, and often producing profound ecological and cultural impacts (Brockway 1979). As the wave of the “Age of Discovery” deepened, the gaze of Western botanists gradually shifted from the Americas and Africa toward the Asian interior, with particular attention to China, a region of exceptionally high biodiversity (Yang et al. 2014). These regions not only harbor ancient floras but also give rise to numerous endemic species, becoming one of the focal areas of global botanical collecting (Zhong et al. 2025). Against this backdrop, plant introduction ceased to be merely a requirement of scientific classification and instead became an integral component of national resource strategies and agro-economic agendas (Fowler 2002). In addition to scientific and ecological considerations, plant introductions also generated substantial economic impacts. Many introduced species from China directly contributed to the development of U.S. agriculture and related industries (Hyten et al. 2006). Staple and cash crops such as Glycine max, Citrus × limon, and Citrus × junos enhanced agricultural productivity and crop diversity, while ornamental plants including Rhododendron (e.g., Rhododendron saluenense, Rhododendron uvariifolium, and Rhododendron mariae) and various bamboo species supported the growth of nurseries, landscaping, and associated industrial chains. The successful economic utilization of these high-value plant resources further reinforced institutional motivations for continued plant introduction (van Kleunen et al. 2020).
As a late-industrializing country, the United States’ trajectory of agricultural modernization was closely intertwined with its programs of plant introduction (Bonnamour et al. 2023). In 1898, the United States Department of Agriculture (hereafter “USDA”) formally established the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction (hereafter “SPI”), marking the institutionalization of U.S. efforts to collect plant genetic resources worldwide. This development occurred contemporaneously with Nikolai I. Vavilov’s pioneering work on the collection and conservation of crop genetic diversity in Russia and the Soviet Union, which laid the theoretical and practical foundations of modern plant genetic resource systems (Vavilov [1926] 1997). The establishment of this office served both domestic needs—addressing crop-resource shortages amid agricultural development in the western United States—and external objectives focused on the systematic acquisition and utilization of overseas plant genetic resources, aiming to transform global germplasm into national agricultural capital through science and technology (Zuo 2025). As a center of origin for major crops such as Oryza sativa, Glycine max, and Fagopyrum esculentum, China—owing to its vast territory encompassing diverse climatic zones and the rich germplasm accumulated through millennia of agrarian civilization—became a core hub in the United States’ construction of a global plant-introduction network (Jones and Liu 2009). Over the half century from 1898 to 1949, the USDA conducted sustained and large-scale plant collecting and introduction activities in China through multiple channels, including dispatching professional explorers, collaborating with faculty at missionary schools, and leveraging diplomatic networks stationed in China (Vavilov 1926).
The scholarly community has accumulated a substantial body of scholarship on modern Western botanical collecting activities in China. Existing studies have mainly proceeded along two lines of inquiry: first, expedition-history research centered on prominent individual botanists, such as tracing and assessing the trajectories and contributions of Ernest Henry Wilson (1876–1930), George Forrest (1873–1932), and Joseph Charles Francis Rock (1884–1962) in botanical collecting across Southwest China (Zhong et al. 2025); second, introduction-history research focused on specific plant taxa, for example, examining the dissemination histories of economic or ornamental plants such as Rhododendron simsii and Glycine max (Wu et al. 2021a). These studies have deepened our understanding of how Western botanical knowledge was constructed in China and how particular species circulated globally (Sedivy et al. 2017; Xiang et al. 2024).
However, existing research still has clear limitations. The research objects are relatively fragmented: most studies document certain plant hunters and the introduction trajectories of a few emblematic species, yet they lack a systematic examination of the USDA’s overall activities in China as a core institutional actor (Luo et al. 2024). Moreover, analytical dimensions remain incomplete; research often focuses on a single dimension-either temporal sequences or spatial distributions-and fails to integrate actors, stages, geographic space, and species composition, making it difficult to reveal the full picture and dynamic trajectories of introductions. Finally, analyses of the historical context require further deepening. Some studies do not adequately situate introduction activities within broader shifts in Sino-U.S. historical and economic relations, the contributions of China’s domestic scientific community, and transformations in the global agro-industrial system, and therefore provide insufficient interpretation of their complex historical implications.
Therefore, this study centers on the USDA’s plant-introduction activities in China from 1898 to 1949 and develops a comprehensive analytical framework. The selection of 1949 as the endpoint of this study is grounded in institutional, political, and data-consistency considerations. Following the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, foreign institutions such as the USDA were no longer able to enter China without authorization to conduct on-site field investigations or systematic plant-collecting activities on the Chinese mainland. As a result, the long-standing era of largely unilateral plant introduction—established since 1898 and characterized by direct field surveys and in situ collection without formal approval from Chinese authorities—came to an end. In addition, 1949 represents the last year in which China appears as a clearly defined and stable source country in the USDA Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported series. Although plant introduction activities related to China continued thereafter, they were conducted under fundamentally different political conditions and institutional frameworks, and thus differ substantially in scale, mode, and context, rendering them not directly comparable with the earlier period. Defining 1949 as the cutoff year therefore ensures the internal consistency and historical coherence of the dataset analyzed in this study (Wu et al. 2020). Rather than focusing on a few particularly influential collectors or a handful of representative species, this research seeks to systematically address the following core questions: what were the spatiotemporal patterns of plant collection activities in China, introduced to the U.S. during this period? How many plant collectors participated in this work? How did the scale of plant collectors operating in China evolve over time? How many plant taxa were introduced into the United States, and what compositional characteristics and selectivity did they exhibit in terms of taxonomy and utilitarian uses? By examining these questions, this study aims to more fully reveal the overall magnitude and the temporal and spatial dynamics of trans-Pacific flows of plant resources in this era, thereby offering a new historical perspective for understanding modern Sino-U.S. interactions in botany, horticulture, and related fields.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Data Sources and Standardization

2.1.1. Core Historical Plant-Introduction Dataset: USDA Archives

The foundational dataset for this study was drawn from the USDA SPI-compiled publication series Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported. This archival system documents detailed information on plants introduced into the United States from around the world since 1898 and constitutes one of the most authoritative and comprehensive official records for examining international flows of plant genetic resources during this period. We systematically searched and extracted all records from 1898 to 1949 whose stated place of origin was China. Each original entry includes the botanical name (or the name in use at the time), the introduction identifier (SPI number), the collector, the year of introduction, and locality information for the introduction/collection site. To accurately identify relevant records, we incorporated historical-geographical context and queried a controlled set of keywords-including “CHINA”, “CHINESE”, “FORMOSA1” (Taiwan), “MANCHURIA” (Northeast China), “SINKIANG” and “CHINESE TURKESTAN” (Xinjiang), and “TIBET” and “GREAT TIBET” (Xizang)-to ensure coverage of the full territorial scope of China as understood in contemporary U.S. sources.

2.1.2. Cleaning, Proofreading, and Integration of Historical Plant Introduction Catalogues

For data cleaning after acquiring the original plant-introduction records, we converted the raw data into a standardized, analyzable dataset through automated validation and manual cross-checking. Botanical scientific-name standardization and accepted-name verification: to address synonyms, unidentified names, or deprecated scientific names in the original records, we conducted systematic nomenclatural checking. First, the iPlant (https://www.iplant.cn/) platform was used as the primary reference to conduct batch verification and update accepted names. For records with inconsistent verification results, we consulted relevant taxonomic literature for manual review, ultimately harmonizing all entries to the most up-to-date accepted names and recording their family-, genus-, and species-level classification. For introduction-locality information widely recorded in Wade-Giles romanization, postal romanization, and dialect-based transliterations, we established a mapping between historical place names and contemporary administrative divisions. Drawing primarily on the historical toponym verification materials for early collecting localities provided by the Chinese Virtual Herbarium “CVH: https://www.cvh.ac.cn/topics/counties.php (accessed on 7 July 2025)”, and integrating historical maps and records of administrative-boundary changes, we geocoded ambiguous or legacy place names as accurately as possible to present-day provincial-level administrative units in China. We then identified their current administrative jurisdictions based on Webster romanization or postal romanization, cross-validated against early Chinese specimen-locality toponyms, and formatted the locality fields in the order of “province, city, county/district/county-level city”. For locality information that could not be resolved to the prefecture-level city (e.g., entries specified only to the province), we retained the records but excluded them from the overall spatial distribution analysis (Ong and Perono Cacciafoco 2024); We manually corrected and unified spelling variants, abbreviations, and errors in collector and institutional names to produce a standardized name list for subsequent analyses of collector networks and contributions.
Records for which the scientific names could not be verified or key information was entirely missing were excluded. The cleaned scientific names, standardized place names, introduction years, and collectors (among other variables) were then integrated to construct a relatively complete “introduced plant checklist database,” which served as the foundational dataset for all subsequent analyses (Figure 1).

2.2. Data Analysis

By integrating the three dimensions of spatiotemporal distribution and plant collectors, this study systematically analyzes the macro-level patterns of U.S. plant introduction activities in China from 1898 to 1949.
In terms of temporal dynamics, based on the cleaned introduction-year dataset, we calculated—at an annual resolution—the frequency of introduction events (number of accessions) and the number of introduced species to identify peak and trough periods of introduction activity. In addition, we computed annual changes in the number of foreign plant collectors operating in China, plotted line charts of temporal variation, and analyzed the historical drivers underlying these changes.
Spatial pattern analysis was conducted in ArcGIS 10.8.1 by geocoding collection records verified to the prefecture-level city and quantifying the number of collection accessions per prefecture-level city in each province; these data were integrated with prefecture-level plant species richness to visualize, via maps, the geographic preferences of major non-native plant collectors in China and their spatial associations with indigenous biodiversity hotspots.

3. Results

3.1. Spatiotemporal Distribution of Plants Introduced from China

Using taxonomic analysis, we quantified and ranked the standardized plant checklist at the family and genus levels to identify dominant taxa. We calculated the number of introductions and the cumulative proportion of introductions for each family and genus to evaluate the taxonomic concentration of introduction activities. This study systematically compiled and standardized USDA-related plant introduction data from China spanning 1898–1949, covering 34 provincial-level administrative regions and 230 prefecture-level cities (prefectures/leagues), with 23,890 introduction records in total. After removing entries lacking prefecture-level city information, we obtained 12,104 valid records for city-scale analysis (Table A1). The cleaned dataset indicates an extremely pronounced disparity in the number of introduction records across prefecture-level cities, ranging from as few as 1 to as many as 2216, preliminarily revealing a highly uneven spatial distribution of collection activities.

3.1.1. Overall Spatial Distribution of the Provenance of Introduced Plants

From the overall spatial perspective, the introduction activity exhibits a distribution characterized by “relatively high density in the eastern and southwestern regions, relative sparsity in the northwest, and a gradual decline from east to west.” Northeast China, North China, East China, and Central China form multiple pronounced hotspot areas; for example, Harbin records a cumulative total of 794 entries, Beijing reaches 1748, Nanjing is as high as 2216, and Wuhan also reaches 236, together constituting the “high-intensity zones” of collection activity. Collection intensity gradually transitions from the eastern coastal areas toward Southwest and South China, with Lijiang City and Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture totaling 1148 records and Guangzhou reporting 706 records. By contrast, Northwest China overall remains a low-activity region, and some areas in Inner Mongolia and Qinghai even show record voids, indicating a pronounced spatial marginalization of introduction activity (Figure 2).
The results indicate that hotspot areas of highest collection intensity are not merely random artifacts produced by statistical methods; rather, they corroborate the travel routes and collection zones of major foreign plant collectors operating in China, thereby endowing the “spatial pattern” with a historically traceable texture (Pyšek et al. 2012). For example, Frank Nicholas Meyer (1875–1918) is widely regarded as one of the representative figures of USDA’s early plant introduction efforts from China, and his repeated long-distance expeditions—together with his collection and introduction of fruit trees and stress-tolerant crop resources—meant that North China and several inland nodes attracted substantial attention from collectors at an early stage (Wu et al. 2022). The collection work he advanced through individual exploration in the inland Northwest of China, when transportation and security conditions permitted, rapidly incorporated inland plant species into the USDA’s collections via a limited number of routes (Shi et al. 2024). In contrast, the collaborative collecting undertaken by Palemon Howard Dorsett2 and William Joseph Morse (1884–1959) supplied USDA’s program for the introduction of plants from China with a more systematic, large-scale influx, and their work was often associated with more accessible regions, stable collecting organization, and bulk shipment logistics (Daru et al. 2018).
At the overall temporal scale, USDA-led plant introductions from China did not unfold linearly but instead followed a trajectory of gradual escalation from a low baseline to a high level, followed by renewed contraction (Figure 3 and Table A2). In the early twentieth century, the scale of introductions remained low for an extended period, with relatively few annual accessions and species, and the program had not yet achieved stability. Over time, introductions accelerated markedly in the 1920s, progressively shifting toward a more mature phase, accompanied by an increase in annual records of introductions. A peak in this operational trajectory emerged in 1926–1927, when the two years together accounted for 4508 introduction records, representing approximately 18.9% of all recorded introductions. This period of high-intensity introduction was not incidental: it both reflects the concentration of annual workload and reveals the maturity and organizational capacity attained by the USDA introduction system from China during a specific window. During this period, the temporal trajectory forms a clear V-shaped trough, characterized by a sharp decline followed by a partial recovery (Figure 3). This fluctuation coincides with the onset of the Great Depression, which began in 1929 and persisted into the late 1930s. The global economic crisis likely constrained institutional capacity, logistics, and international exchange, thereby reducing overseas plant introduction activities and contributing to the observed V-shaped pattern (Holley and Trescott 2023). This “surge-plateau” temporal structure accords with a common pattern whereby transnational species-collection networks develop operational inertia at mature stages, and it closely aligns with the “institutionalized collecting phase” defined in research on the history of plant hunting and introduction (Richardson and Van Wilgen 2004).

3.1.2. Overall Temporal Distribution of Introduced Plant Species

During 1900–1910, the overall scale of plant introductions remained low, with large interannual fluctuations. This period is better understood as an exploratory stage before institutional arrangements had stabilized: collecting routes were still being tested and transfer logistics had not yet matured, making annual introduction numbers highly susceptible to shipping conditions and geographic accessibility (van Kleunen et al. 2015). After entering the 1920s, both the number of introduced taxa and the volume of recorded accessions began to rise continuously, rapidly developing into a large-scale enterprise. The USDA’s collection work in China thus shifted from early exploratory efforts to a more large-scale and organized mode of operation, including the establishment of a relatively stable collection network and standardized procedures for material handling and transport. This accelerated expansion did not occur in isolation; rather, it was associated with the historical context of improved transportation conditions in modern China and strengthened linkages between treaty ports and the interior, which made transregional collecting and transport more feasible in practice (Hulme 2009).
However, after 1932, the scale of introductions underwent a pronounced turning point, with both the number of accessions and the number of species beginning to decline and settling into a relatively low level. Although there were brief rebounds in certain years, they were no longer sufficient to return to the high levels observed in 1926–1927. This trend is closely associated with the deterioration of the security situation and its sustained threats to transportation and fieldwork. Cross-border introduction activities depend heavily on conditions such as on-site collection, personnel deployment, and reliable transport; when these conditions are disrupted, introduction intensity often contracts rapidly and remains depressed over the long term (March et al. 2021).

3.2. Composition and Shifting Patterns of Foreign Plant Collectors in China

The analysis indicates that the USDA’s introduction program in China from 1898 to 1949 was far from a uniform and continuous process of plant-resource collection; rather, it constituted a dynamic history shaped by a small number of key individuals, characterized by fluctuations in activity intensity in response to security conditions, and deeply reflective of modern Sino-U.S. relations. The findings of this study can be elaborated in the following three aspects, which together delineate a historical panorama of plant introductions from China to the United States (Wu et al. 2021b).

3.2.1. The Overall Scale and Number of Plant Collectors Vary over Time

In this introduction stage, the overall scale of collectors can be divided into three phases—an initial exploratory period (1898–1905), a rapid growth period (1906–1930), and a decline-and-recovery period (1931–1949)—with the total number of foreign collectors in China exceeding 566 (Figure 4 and Table A3).
During the early phase of plant-introduction activities, the number of foreign plant collectors operating in China remained low, typically ranging from 3 to 14. At that time, stable channels for scientific collaboration between China and the United States had not yet been established, and introduction efforts relied more heavily on individual initiatives. Many collectors entered China as independent explorers or collectors; their activities were distinctly exploratory and also indicated that botanical-science exchange between the two countries was still in its infancy and had not yet been incorporated into a systematic framework. This relatively fragmented pattern began to change in the early twentieth century. Between 1905 and 1910, the number of collectors rose from 14 to a peak of 47 in 1910, producing a pronounced expansion within a short period. This surge was not accidental but rather the product of the combined effects of institutional conditions and economic demand. On the one hand, formal scientific cooperation between China and the United States gradually took shape—for example, the U.S. Bureau of Agriculture began collaborating with relevant Chinese research institutions—thereby providing organizational and resource support for plant-introduction activities (Schneider 1982); on the other hand, domestic demand in the United States for economically valuable plants from China continued to grow—for example, accession records reached 3024 for Glycine max, 1523 for Oryza sativa, and 265 for Sorghum bicolor, which also encouraged a more professionalized cohort of plant hunters to enter China and markedly increased the scale and specialization of collections during this period. As the plant-introduction system became more mature, the number of foreign collectors operating in China during the 1920s exhibited a form of broad or relative stabilisation, characterized not by a constant figure but by fluctuations within a comparatively stable range (approximately 23–43 collectors), especially when contrasted with the rapid expansion of the preceding phase and the sharp decline that followed. This also reflects the vibrancy of transnational knowledge exchange at the time: the Arnold Arboretum and agricultural agencies continuously and systematically dispatched plant hunters to China, while research-oriented institutions such as Lingnan University provided local support in transportation and field assistance, thereby to some extent ensuring personnel mobility and safety (Stoner and Hummer 2007).
However, this stability did not last long. The 1930s marked a clear turning point in the history of plant introduction: the number of foreign collectors in China fell rapidly from 35 in 1930 to only 2 by 1940. The deterioration of external security conditions profoundly reshaped collection activities—transport routes were disrupted, and the risks of field surveys increased. Amid multiple sources of uncertainty, most foreign plant hunters were forced to withdraw from China, and the 1940 nadir in numbers concentratedly reflects the near-stagnation of introduction activities.
The brief recovery that followed did not reverse this overall trend. Between 1945 and 1949, the number of foreign plant hunters agents in China rose slightly-reaching 12 by 1949—but never returned to the high levels of the 1920s and 1930s. This limited rebound reflected a localized resumption of scientific exchange under constrained conditions rather than a comprehensive recovery. Plant-introduction activities could no longer replicate the scale of the “introduction boom,” marking the gradual transition of the U.S. era of plant introduction from China toward a phase of exhaustion (Merrill 1948).

3.2.2. The Top Ten Foreign Plant Collectors in China and the Spatiotemporal Patterns of Their Collections

Between 1898 and 1949, a large number of plant collectors participated in introduction activities, forming an extensive network system. To clarify the uneven contribution structure among collectors, we further stratified foreign plant collectors according to their proportional share of total introduction records. A small group of major collectors, each contributing more than 10% of all records, formed the core drivers of large-scale introduction activities. A second tier of core collectors contributed between 5% and 10%, while a broader group of secondary collectors each accounted for more than 1% of the total. Together, these groups illustrate a highly concentrated introduction network, in which overall introduction outcomes were numerically dominated by a limited number of high-frequency collectors, whereas the majority of participants contributed only a small number of records. For example, those who contributed more than 10% of the seed introduction: P. H. Dorsett, F. N. Meyer, J. F. Rock, W. J. Morse, Floyd Alonzo McClure (1897–1970), Major Lionel Nathan de Rothschild (1882–1942), Albert Newton Steward (1897–1959), Aleksandr Dmitrievich Woeikoff (1879–1944), Boris Vasil’evich Skvortzow (1896–1980), and Petr Filaretovich Constatinoff (1890–1954)—accounted for the vast majority of high-quality germplasm introductions, whereas many participants contributed only single-digit numbers. The activity trajectories of these ten leading collectors exhibit a clear sequential “relay” over time, and the rises and falls of their individual careers together weave the overarching contour of the introduction history. From 1898 to 1949, the USDA’s cumulative introduction records from China reached 23,890, while the ten major collectors collectively contributed 12,064 entries, accounting for 50.5% of the total. This pyramid-shaped structure indicates that systematic, large-scale introduction work depended heavily on a small number of professional plant collectors who received long-term support and systematic training from institutions such as the USDA (Schmidt et al. 2025). By reviewing the activity trajectories of the principal collectors in China during this period, it is evident that each collector’s active years align closely with the three delineated introduction phases overall, yet their introduction efforts differed in emphasis (L. D. Rothschild is not discussed here due to substantial missing data at the prefecture-level city scale, although the number of his plant transfer records is reflected in the overall activity map, Figure 5).
As an early pioneer of plant hunting, F. N. Meyer focused his expeditions primarily on North China and penetrated the Chinese interior along the Yangtze River basin, while also reaching the inland Northwest; he accumulated 445 accession records in Beijing and 144 documented introductions from the Kashgar region, concentrating on fruit and nut trees and cold-hardy timber species with immediate economic value, thereby providing U.S. agriculture with a substantial pool of potential cultivars and breeding germplasm. In 1908, he reached his personal peak, providing 614 accessions in a single year, and his collections laid a critical resource and knowledge foundation for subsequent introduction work (Wu et al. 2022). His introduction activities were largely concentrated in 1905–1918, spanning 14 years of documented records and constituting a core force in the initial exploratory phase.
In early 1929, P. H. Dorsett, W. J. Morse, and their colleagues emerged as the principal drivers of plant introduction, serving as core members of the agricultural expedition team organized under the USDA SPI program and dispatched to China—an arrangement that exemplified the USDA’s large—scale and comprehensive approach to agricultural exploration. Plant-collection efforts peaked particularly in Southwest China (e.g., Yunnan and Sichuan), bringing in substantial numbers of alpine ornamentals as well as endemic taxa such as Rhododendron russatum, Primula szechuanica, Meconopsis pseudointegrifolia, and other regionally restricted species. During this period, they conducted extensive crop germplasm collecting across Northeast China (e.g., 205 accessions introduced from Changchun and 497 from Harbin) and North China (a total of up to 683 accessions from Beijing), with a particular emphasis on local landraces of soybean, vegetables, and other economic crops; the exceptionally large introduction volumes directly supported U.S. crop-improvement programs, and between 1929 and 1931 the two men provided a combined total of 4847 accessions, with Dorsett’s single-person, single-year maximum reaching 1926 accessions in 1926.
From the 1920s to the mid-1930s, McClure emerged as a model of the “expert” plant hunter. Based in South China for an extended period (affiliated with Lingnan University), he conducted intensive collection and research on bamboos, reaching 433 introduction accessions in Guangzhou. His work not only brought numerous bamboo taxa to the United States but also substantially advanced bamboo taxonomy, with an impact that far exceeded the mere introduction of plant biological resources and even contributed to the formation of a specialized discipline. His collection activities spanned 1921–1943; during the third and fourth Hainan Island expeditions in 1927–1928, 335 collection records were documented, covering a total of 103 plant species. Specimens collected during these two expeditions accounted for 30.5% of his total personal introductions (Wu et al. 2021b).
J. F. Rock centered his activities in the Hengduan Mountains of southwestern China, focusing particularly on northwestern Yunnan (e.g., 16 prefecture-level cities such as Lijiang, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, and Nyingchi) and southwestern Sichuan (e.g., Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture and Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, totaling 160 introduction records), with 760 records from Lijiang and Diqing alone, and—across the 16 prefecture-level cities—272 plant species represented by as many as 1442 species-record entries. His introduction lists were characterized by alpine ornamental taxa such as Rhododendron and Primula, along with numerous endemic trees and shrubs, substantially enriching Western botanical collections and marking an expansion of introduction objectives from purely economic utility toward a dual emphasis on scientific and ornamental value; his work spanned the longest period (1922–1949), with records covering 15 years—ranking first among foreign plant collectors active in China—and the greatest annual volume occurred along the Yunnan-Tibet frontier during 1922–1924, averaging 330.3 records per year.
A. D. Woeikoff’s introduction activities were concentrated primarily in Northeast China (the three northeastern provinces) and North China, with 244 plant-species accession records collected in Mudanjiang, and were most active during the 1920s–1930s. A. N. Steward worked mainly in Central and Southwest China, introducing 85 plant-species accession records in Tongren and 36 in Jiujiang; during 1932–1937, he introduced a total of 137 species across 221 accessions, continuously supplying germplasm resources to the USDA.
B. W. Skvortzow conducted collection activities in China for eight consecutive years, producing a cumulative total of 351 introduction records, with an annual average of 43.8 and a single-year maximum of 115. Meanwhile, P. F. Constatinoff, another foreign plant collector active in China, reached a single-year maximum of 331 records, operating primarily in Northeast China (the three northeastern provinces), with 83 recorded introductions from Jilin City and 56 from Mudanjiang, for example. Both individuals carried out extensive plant collections in Harbin, contributing a combined 214 records and continuously supplying the USDA with high-quality germplasm resources and horticultural plant taxa.
The peak periods of plant collection by the principal collectors in China did not fully coincide temporally; instead, they formed a sequential trajectory of collection efforts. This pattern arose because the discoveries of early plant hunters continually furnished leads and targets for subsequent work, enabling later collections to build upon an accumulated knowledge base (Figure 6). Collection frequency was also constrained by individual contract cycles, shifts in funding support, and the broader geopolitical conditions of the modern era. In this process, individual exploratory initiative and institution-level economic demand jointly shaped the USDA’s program of plant introduction from China from 1898 to 1949 (Wu et al. 2022).
In addition, it should be emphasized that the outstanding contributions of China-based scientists or collaborators—such as Dejun Yu (Yü Te Chün, T. T. YU) and Aitun Liu (Liu Ai T’eng, Peter Liu)—were particularly evident in the 1930s and 1940s: while assisting the USDA with plant collection work, Dejun Yu provided 212 plant species, with a single-year maximum of 641 accession records. Aitun Liu contributed a total of 718 accession records, sustained plant collection activities for 11 years, and achieved an annual average of 65.3 records. Leveraging their familiarity with China’s geographic environments, these China-based scientists or collaborators collectively generated 1225 collection records across prefecture-level localities such as Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Southwest China, as well as Beijing in North China. Drawing on in-depth knowledge of local floras, they assisted the USDA during the later phase of the 1898–1949 plant introduction program and served as a crucial bridge linking Chinese and Western botanical knowledge.
By overlaying and analyzing the introduction records of the ten principal foreign plant collectors active in China, we find that USDA-dispatched collectors exhibited a discernible “site preference” in their collection localities, concentrating largely in Northeast, North, East, South, and Southwest China, thereby producing an overall spatial pattern characterized by pronounced regional unevenness.

3.3. Temporal Characteristics and Taxonomic Composition of Plant Species Introduced from China

This study synthesizes and classifies U.S. records of plant introductions from China between 1898 and 1949 and, from a macro-level perspective of introduced species composition, reveals the taxonomic concentration and resource preferences characterizing introduction activities during this period. Our analysis proceeds primarily along two dimensions, jointly outlining a “map of plant resources” underlying U.S. collection work in China (Fairchild 1923). Although collection efforts encompassed a broad range of taxa, their intensity was unevenly distributed, exhibiting a pronounced “collection preference.” In this study, the dataset of introduced plants with complete records comprises 23,890 entries, spanning 159 families, 869 genera, and 2252 species. These data corroborate China’s abundant germplasm resources and botanical diversity, as well as the substantial capacity of U.S. introduction institutions to conduct collection work. Nevertheless, introduction activities were driven chiefly by pragmatism and economic interests, and their essence lay in enriching U.S. landscape plantings, agricultural germplasm repositories, and forestry resources—an objective that is key to understanding the entire history of introductions.
From the overall species time series of introductions, the trajectory of introduction activities exhibits pronounced stage-like and nonlinear features in both magnitude and tempo. The annual number of plant transfers did not increase at a constant rate over time; instead, it went through a process of slow accumulation, rapid escalation, and subsequent decline, forming a clear “hump-shaped” distribution, with 1920–1930 constituting the peak period, during which (around 1926–1927) large numbers of economically valuable taxa were introduced, for example, the Glycine (rising from a total of 266 accessions in 1924–1925 to 1243 in 1926–1927) and the Triticum (increasing from 48 in 1924–1925 to 1019 in 1926–1927), driving the annual introduction volume to its maximum. Thereafter, the annual number of plant transfers declined rapidly and entered a fluctuating phase, indicating a degree of continuity and inertia in introduction events. By contrast, the cumulative number of introductions continued to rise over time, but its growth rate differed markedly across periods and can be broadly divided into three phases using 1920 and 1935 as temporal breakpoints. During 1898–1920, the annual cumulative number of introduced accessions increased year by year, but the growth was relatively slow. From 1920 to 1935, the annual cumulative number of introduced accessions accelerated substantially, becoming the critical period driving the expansion of introduction scale. After 1935, the growth rate of the annual cumulative number of introduced accessions slowed again, although the overall trend remained upward (Figure 7). As a whole, the introduction-quantity curve shifts at multiple time points, suggesting that the execution intensity of introduction work was shaped by specific historical phases, and that quantitative fluctuations reflect changes in collectors’ capacity for action and in their broader socio-historical context (Seebens et al. 2017).
In this study, 23,682 records were identified to the family level, 23,691 to the genus level, and 18,859 to the species level and infraspecific taxa (Table A4). Based on the integrated introduction dataset, we selected the most representative families and genera that together accounted for the top 70% of all introductions for analysis, comprising the top 10 families and top 45 genera, which indicates pronounced representativeness and concentration (Table 1 and Table 2).

3.3.1. Dominant Families of Introduced Plants and Their Cumulative Proportion

At both the family and genus levels, Chinese plant species contributed substantial species richness to the U.S. planting germplasm pool, yet this “richness” was unevenly distributed, with introduction records displaying a pronounced dominance structure among taxa. At the family scale, introduction activities were clearly organized around a small number of “dominant families,” with the leading families including Poaceae (25% of total accessions introduced), Fabaceae (20.9%), Rosaceae (10.7%), Ericaceae (4.9%), and Cucurbitaceae (2.6%), all of which comprise plant groups of exceptionally high economic and landscape value in subtropical and temperate regions. Taking Rosaceae as an example, its prominence reflects the large and persistent demand in U.S. society for fruit trees and ornamental woody plants (Griesbach and Berberich 1995). Large-scale introductions of Rosaceae directly supported cultivar improvement in the U.S. horticultural industry and enhanced plant diversity within cultivated systems. The prominence of Poaceae reflects the systematic collection of Bambusoideae, which were treated in historical and applied contexts as timber-like resources due to their widespread use in construction and material applications, along with experimental introductions of other ornamental grasses and potential forage and cereal taxa (Hou et al. 2021). This composition suggests that U.S. introduction agencies prioritized a “species list” centered on key resources that could be readily integrated into agricultural, horticultural, and forestry economic systems (Medina et al. 2025). In other words, family-level diversity appears more as an outcome shaped by economic and utilitarian priorities: taxa that can be reliably converted into high-value uses such as food and ornamentation were more likely to receive sustained investments of time and resources for continued introduction (Figure 8).
Following this logic, the high introduction volume of Rosaceae is readily explicable, as it closely aligned with U.S. demand for fruit trees and ornamental woody plants. This alignment is reflected in both the improvement potential of fruit-tree resources-such as Malus pumila (6 introduction records), Prunus persica (246), and Prunus salicina (21)—and the appeal of ornamentals, including Prunus armeniaca (151) and Rosa multiflora (6 introduction records), which together elevated the family’s overall introduction intensity (Faust and Timon 1995). The prominent share of Poaceae corresponds to a different set of needs: the production-side applications of key forage grasses or cereals, together with the functional uses of certain bamboos (304 introduction records), enabled this family to remain consistently overrepresented in introduction lists over the long term. In this context, McClure’s contributions to bamboo introductions were particularly notable. The extensive introductions of Fabaceae exhibited a multi-purpose orientation spanning herbaceous and woody forms, encompassing herbaceous taxa used as green manure and forage as well as tree species with ornamental or timber potential, such as Lespedeza bicolor (12) and Gleditsia sinensis (18). As for Pinaceae, introductions more directly targeted the dual objectives of timber production and urban landscaping. Across plant-species introduction lists, taxa may differ in their uses yet share a common underlying logic: they typically possess clear, realizable utilitarian value. When such groups were introduced into the United States and incorporated into systems of cultivation and dissemination, U.S. horticultural and agricultural configurations—and even the forest-composition structure of some regions—were altered accordingly.

3.3.2. Dominant Genera of Introduced Plants and Their Cumulative Proportion

While preferences in introduction selection are already evident at the family level, analysis at the genus level further “sharpens” this selectivity into a more pronounced concentration pattern: Genera were ranked by their number of introduction records in descending order, and a cumulative threshold was then applied to identify the set of genera accounting for the first 70% of all introduction records. Under this criterion, a total of 45 genera are required to cumulatively reach this 70% threshold, indicating a strong concentration of introduction activities at the genus level. Notably, high introduction volumes at the genus level are also shaped by collectors’ familiarity and personal trajectories, “genus-level introduction quantity” refers to the total number of recorded introduction events for all species and infraspecific taxa within a given genus, rather than to species richness. This measure reflects the degree to which introduction activities were concentrated on particular genera, indicating repeated collection and introduction efforts over time.
Such concentration is closely linked to the personal trajectories of individual plant collectors. Historical introduction activities were not random: a collector’s professional background, long-term residence, research interests, and regional familiarity strongly shaped their choice of target taxa. As a result, sustained work by particular collectors often led to disproportionately high introduction quantities for certain genera. Therefore, a high genus-level introduction quantity does not imply natural dominance of that genus in China’s flora, but instead reflects the cumulative outcome of focused and repeated introduction activities by specific individuals. Bamboos provide the clearest example: the unusually high numbers of introductions for Bambusa (98 records), Phyllostachys (113 records), and Pseudosasa (20 records) are, to a large extent, the direct result of McClure and his collaborators’ sustained, two-decade focus (Wu et al. 2021b). This genus-level taxonomic composition not only reflects persistent U.S. market demand for particular plant types, but also indicates that collection work relies heavily on collectors’ familiarity with—and interest in—specific taxa.
For agricultural resources, the genera Glycine, Triticum, and Oryza together comprise as many as 6873 introduced accessions, representing 29% of the total and ranking among the top three genera by introduced accessions, thereby bringing substantial agricultural resources to the United States. Among ornamental trees and shrubs, introductions of Rhododendron and Syringa were particularly active, reaching 1077 and 71 records, respectively, and greatly enriching the species diversity of landscape plants in the U.S. East Coast and the Pacific Northwest. For fruit-tree resources, introductions of Pyrus and Citrus reached 436 and 199 accessions, respectively (2.6% in total), aiming to expand U.S. fruit cultivar diversity and the genetic reservoir of germplasm resources. Within Rosaceae, introductions were especially intensive for Prunus (805 accessions), Rosa (243), and Malus (229). For conifers, Abies (47 accessions) and Pinus (78) were widely introduced for forest-tree breeding and landscape planting in the United States (Figure 9).
The historical process of USDA plant introductions from China can be summarized as a purposeful program to acquire plant species resources. In essence, the composition of the introduction catalog is a species list doubly filtered through economic priorities and aesthetic selection, serving to a large extent the agricultural and horticultural sectors in the United States. The plant families and genera that account for the top 70% of introductions together constitute an efficient conduit linking China’s natural resources to U.S. application markets. This conduit preferentially channeled plant groups capable of rapidly generating high economic returns, enhancing quality of life, or serving specialized functions. While this introduction program enriched plant diversity in the United States, it also inevitably produced an incomplete understanding of China’s plant resources (Bonnamour et al. 2023; Daru 2024).

4. Discussion

4.1. Spatiotemporal Distribution Drivers and Subsequent Invasive-Species Monitoring

The USDA’s plant transfer program from China during 1898–1949 was not a set of sporadic, individual collecting activities but rather a program shaped by predefined objectives, infrastructure, and transportation conditions, and continually influenced by economic priorities and changes in the external environment. This study converts the dispersed introduction records in the SPI into a testable, standardized dataset and reconstructs, at the prefecture-level city scale, the “time-space-collector-taxonomic composition” structure of these activities. The core finding is that plant introductions from China during this period did not constitute a uniform sampling of China’s botanical diversity; instead, they represent a large-scale influx of plant species resources driven by institutional economic objectives, constrained by geographic accessibility and infrastructure, and implemented through a small number of key collectors.
The overall spatial pattern of introductions indicates that collection intensity did not simply track China’s plant-diversity hotspots. High-intensity clusters along the eastern seaboard and in Northeast China align with the distribution of ports, railways, and urban research institutions, thereby reducing the costs of collection, interim holding, and outbound shipment. By contrast, sparse records in regions such as the Northwest reflect how inadequate transport, institutional support, and security safeguards critically constrained scientific activity at the time. The spatial form of cross-border species flows is often determined first by transportation and organizational conditions, and only subsequently manifests as a biologically meaningful “source-area lineage” (Meyer et al. 2015). From the temporal structure of introduction work, geopolitical shocks could directly rewrite the rhythm of resource flows. Between 1920 and 1930, the annual cumulative volume of introductions increased rapidly, corresponding to a relatively active phase of foreign collection activities in China and to the development of mechanisms for Sino-foreign scientific collaboration (e.g., projects supported by the Rockefeller Foundation) (Schneider 1982). After the workflow of introductions became highly organized, a stage-specific peak emerged; regional conflicts in the late 1930s constituted a watershed in the trajectory of introduction work. Thereafter, the introduction process that had gradually unfolded since 1898 was markedly impeded: annual introduction numbers fell sharply and remained at persistently low levels, activity records for most foreign collectors declined precipitously, and in some years approached zero. During this period, the operational environment deteriorated substantially, personnel safety could not be ensured, interregional transport networks were constrained, and field collecting and systematic surveys were forced to cease. This phenomenon reveals the strong dependence of cross-border introductions on on-site collection, temporary storage, and reliable transport. Notably, during this interval, the relative share of USDA introduction contributions supported by Chinese local scientists or collaborators-such as Peter Liu and T. T. Yu. Under extremely adverse conditions, the collection network did not disappear entirely but persisted in a localized and collaborative mode, demonstrating the inertia and resilience of scientific activity under constraints (Sperling 2001).
Furthermore, the broad coverage of introduction records provides a scalable foundational database for subsequent research, particularly for tracking and evaluating the long-term consequences along the “introduction-naturalization-invasion” pathway (Bonnamour et al. 2023). Furthermore, the broad coverage of introduction records provides a scalable foundational database for subsequent research, particularly for tracking and evaluating the long-term consequences along the “introduction-naturalization-invasion” pathway (Cano et al. 2025; van Kleunen et al. 2015).
The long-term ecological impacts of historical introductions exhibit a pronounced duality. From a global perspective, the China–United States plant introduction pathway examined here also forms part of a broader, trade-driven system of species exchange, which has been shown to accelerate floristic homogenization among regions with intensive economic and transport linkages (Yang et al. 2021). Several taxa examined in this study were initially regarded as successful introductions because of their strong adaptability and rapid growth, yet during subsequent spread they demonstrated high competitive ability and were ultimately classified as invasive plants (e.g., Callery pear, Pyrus calleryana, introduced by the USDA from China to the U.S. Midwest in the early twentieth century, was widely promoted for its disease resistance and fast growth, but after multiple cultivars co-occurred and underwent natural hybridization it rapidly escaped cultivation and was eventually designated invasive in many U.S. states), thereby altering local community structure and ecological processes. This time-dependent shift underscores the necessity of interpreting historical introductions from a long-term perspective (Bonnamour et al. 2023). Our data support risk screening oriented to specific taxa and pathways: on the one hand, identifying taxa with high introduction intensity and documented invasion histories, and prioritizing the monitoring of species that exhibit broad native-range distributions when implementing future prevention of plant invasions, as species with wider native distributions are more readily detected and introduced (Paudel et al. 2025); on the other hand, the data help locate potential “hotspots of high introduction and high invasion likelihood,” providing a foundation for subsequent risk assessments that integrate GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) occurrence records, cultivation histories, and environmental suitability models (Zhang et al. 2024). By identifying pathways characterized by high collection intensity and economic orientation, this study provides historical evidence for linking past introduction efforts with contemporary patterns of naturalization and invasion—a linkage that has become a focal issue in invasion biology (Seebens et al. 2017).

4.2. Plant Introductions from China and the Formation of the U.S. Plant System

Introductions from China significantly expanded the genetic and functional diversity of U.S. plant resources. A portion of these introduced materials has been preserved and remains accessible within U.S. germplasm conservation systems; detailed and up-to-date inventories of taxa currently maintained by the USDA can be consulted through official USDA databases (https://www.usda.gov/). The USDA and affiliated institutions incorporated many introduced plants into agricultural breeding, extension through experimental stations, and urban greening systems. As a result, introduction activities not only increased the quantity of germplasm resources but also reshaped the structure of agricultural and landscape systems. In this process, the U.S. agricultural system gained a broader pool of stress-tolerance traits, and urban landscapes gained more plant species adaptable to different climates. Together, these changes enhanced the stability of agricultural production and the diversity of landscapes. As a major center of temperate and subtropical plant diversity, China provided the United States with many genetic traits that were relatively scarce in its native flora. Introduced taxa often carried key traits such as drought tolerance, cold hardiness, and resistance to pests and diseases, thereby improving crop characteristics or reducing production risks under specific environmental constraints. Previous studies have shown that function-oriented introductions in the early twentieth century were important for diversifying and stabilizing the U.S. agricultural system (van Kleunen et al. 2015). This study further demonstrates that plants introduced from China were not a marginal supplement to the U.S. plant system but an integral component of its agricultural and landscape development. In the fields of landscape architecture and horticulture, many introduced plants have gradually become foundational elements of street greening, shelterbelt configurations, and botanical garden collections. Through an “introduction-trial planting-propagation-promotion” workflow, botanical gardens, nurseries, and urban management agencies have steadily converted some Chinese plants into landscape materials usable at scale. Subsequently, hybridization and selective breeding further amplified the utilization potential of these species. By screening traits such as flower color, flowering period, plant form, stress tolerance, and management costs, new horticultural cultivars were developed that are more ornamental and better adapted to local environments (Huang et al. 2015). This process indicates that introduction is not a static transfer of species, but a dynamic process that continuously drives the recombination and re-dissemination of plant traits. Consequently, introduced plants function as “innovation nodes” within plant-dissemination networks, being repeatedly reshaped in novel environments and subsequently spreading again (Williams et al. 2016).
This study situates plant introductions within an analytical framework of transnational plant-dispersal systems, rather than treating them as isolated introduction events. By summarizing evidence on the scale of introductions, the actors involved, and taxonomic composition, this article shows that the enrichment of plant diversity in the United States has depended largely on transnational plant exchange and sustained circulation, rather than being derived solely from domestic evolution. This perspective extends the explanatory boundaries of traditional phytogeography and agricultural history, and it also aligns with a recent research trend in biodiversity science that incorporates historical data to elucidate the formation of contemporary floras (Daru et al. 2021).
Beyond shaping the structure of the U.S. plant system, introductions from China also generated lasting impacts on agricultural research, crop breeding, and broader economic and food-security outcomes. Following their introduction, many Chinese plant resources—ranging from major crops such as Glycine max and Triticum aestivum to ornamental taxa including Primula (e.g., Primula pinnatifida and Primula sikkimensis) and Rosa (e.g., Rosa omeiensis and Rosa soulieana)—were incorporated into U.S. breeding programs and experimental stations. Through selection, hybridization, and adaptation trials, these germplasm resources contributed to the development of improved cultivars with enhanced yield stability, stress tolerance, and disease resistance (Sun et al. 2025).
The utilization of introduced germplasm strengthened the competitiveness of U.S. agricultural production and facilitated the expansion of agricultural exports, particularly for crops whose genetic diversity had previously been limited. In this sense, plant introductions from China not only supported domestic agricultural modernization but also contributed indirectly to global food-system stability by increasing the resilience and adaptability of widely cultivated crops. These outcomes underscore that historical plant introductions functioned not merely as botanical exchanges, but as long-term investments in agricultural innovation and economic security.

4.3. Historical Insights from the History of Introduced Species to Today’s Global Plant Introduction System

The high concentration of taxonomic composition indicates that the collection lists compiled in China are not a comprehensive representation of the flora, but rather a “functional portfolio of resources” filtered by economic demand and application contexts. To further clarify the functional composition of the introduced taxa, we categorized all identified species according to their primary documented uses in the SPI records. Among the 2252 introduced species, ornamental or planting uses constituted the largest category (796 species), indicating that a substantial proportion of introductions were not strictly oriented toward food and agriculture. In addition, 533 species were introduced for medicinal purposes, while food-related uses such as fruit production (188 species), fat and oil resources (126), and fodder (114) represented comparatively smaller shares. Forest-related uses were also prominent, with 121 species recorded for timber and 122 for fibre.
This functional profile demonstrates that U.S. plant introductions from China encompassed a broad spectrum of utilitarian objectives, with ornamental, forestry, and other non-food uses forming a major component. Consequently, these introductions extend well beyond the scope of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture sensu stricto, reflecting a broader institutional interest in horticultural, medicinal, and multipurpose plant resources (Cano et al. 2025).
The dominance of groups such as Poaceae, Fabaceae, and Rosaceae corresponds to needs in fruit-tree breeding, forage/crop improvement, ornamental horticulture, and timber use, and is further amplified by the expertise of particular collectors: institutional preferences determine what to collect, while professional capacity determines how intensively collection is concentrated. Therefore, the accumulation of U.S. germplasm resources and changes in horticultural landscapes generated through introductions should be understood as the joint product of goal orientation and organized implementation capacity, rather than a simple “resource-richness determinism.” This interpretation aligns with findings that global accumulations of non-native plants are driven by exchange networks and introduction intensity (Schmidt et al. 2025; van Kleunen et al. 2020). China is among the world’s most genetically resource-rich countries for plants, it has long played primarily a supplier role in cross-border exchanges of plant germplasm resources (Vavilov 1926). In addition, it should be noted that plant genetic resources conserved within the USDA system have historically been made broadly accessible to researchers and institutions from many countries, reflecting an early emphasis on open exchange of introduced germplasm. By contrast, access to comparable plant genetic resources has not been reciprocally available in many countries, and a number of states are not members of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), which formally commits its Parties to the conservation of plant genetic resources and to facilitated access and benefit-sharing. This institutional asymmetry highlights long-standing global inequalities in the governance, accessibility, and stewardship of plant genetic resources. Thus, it is necessary to strengthen institutional safeguards for the utilization of genetic resources and benefit-sharing, using China as a historical example to effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of countries worldwide in access to genetic resources, their use, and the distribution of benefits (Schindel and du Plessis 2014). On this basis, in situ and ex situ conservation of plant biodiversity resources should be reinforced, and the international community should be encouraged to improve rules and enforcement mechanisms for Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS), enhancing traceability, compliance, and equity (Sett et al. 2024).
Plant diversity not only constitutes the material foundation of ecosystem structure and function, but also serves as a key prerequisite for the long-term stability and development of human societies (Cardinale et al. 2012). It should be clarified that the apparent tension between “disordered” introduction practices and the characterization of the USDA-led program as “systematic” reflects two different analytical levels. Institutionally, plant introductions from China were coordinated under the USDA through formal programs such as the SPI, with defined objectives, funding mechanisms, and reporting systems. However, at the level of on-the-ground implementation in China, these activities were often fragmented, contingent on individual collectors, local conditions, transportation constraints, and political instability. Thus, the introduction system combined centralized institutional leadership with decentralized and uneven execution, a dual structure characteristic of transnational biological resource acquisition in this historical context. This interpretation is also consistent with later international frameworks on access, benefit-sharing, and biodiversity conservation, which emphasize the gap between formal governance structures and field-level practices. However, the USDA’s plant collection activities in China from 1898 to 1949 were carried out under specific historical circumstances. During this period, plant introduction efforts were severely lacking in organization and systematization. Whether viewed from the perspective of the introducing institutions themselves or the external environment in which collections were conducted in China, this history involved fragmented acquisitions of plant germplasm under relatively disorderly conditions. Such heterogeneous and uneven collection of plant species resources from the source country could not meaningfully contribute, as an international effort, to the conservation of global plant diversity.
The goals established by the current Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework provide countries with a clear course of action for the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of plant resources (Affinito et al. 2025; Obura 2023). Against this backdrop, research on the history of botanical expeditions and plant introductions is valuable not only for academic historical reconstruction, but also for the long-term perspective and experiential reference it offers (Cano et al. 2025). By tracing pathways of resource flows, institutional contexts, and points of risk exposure, historical research can furnish an actionable evidence base for contemporary transboundary plant transfers, biosafety assessments, and plant-diversity conservation.

5. Conclusions and Outlook

By integrating archival records, spatial analysis, and taxonomic standardization, this study reconstructs the structure and dynamics of U.S. plant introduction activities in China between 1898 and 1949. Rather than representing a comprehensive sampling of China’s flora, these introductions reflect a historically contingent and institutionally driven selection process shaped by economic priorities, logistical accessibility, and geopolitical conditions. The main findings indicate that U.S. plant collection activities in China were neither homogeneous nor random collecting practices; rather, they constituted a systematic project of resource extraction led by a small number of core collectors, heavily reliant on transportation and institutional networks in the eastern coastal and southwestern regions, and profoundly shaped by Sino-U.S. relations and security conditions. In terms of taxonomic composition, introduced plants exhibited marked concentration, dominated by groups with prominent economic and ornamental value—such as Poaceae, Fabaceae, and Rosaceae—reflecting a strong emphasis on economic value and a pragmatic orientation. It should be emphasized that China was only one of multiple global sources from which the United States acquired plant genetic resources during this period. The significance of China in the present study lies not in its exclusivity, but in the scale, continuity, and institutional organization of U.S. introduction activities conducted there between 1898 and 1949.
This study reconstructs the system for introducing plants into the U.S. from China as a whole, transcending the limitations of previous studies that focused only on individuals or single species, and provides empirical case studies for understanding power structures, resource selectivity, and historical contingency in modern transnational scientific activities. This historical process not only enriched U.S. horticultural and agricultural germplasm resources, but also reflects the evolving roles of local scientific actors in a resource-exporting country as it was passively drawn into global flows of plant genetic resources.
This study also has certain limitations. First, because the research relies primarily on historical catalogues and archival documents, some collection events may not have been fully recorded, and a degree of uncertainty is unavoidable in the transliteration and translation of place names and botanical nomenclature. Second, the analysis in this paper focuses on macro-scale spatiotemporal patterns and structural characteristics, and it does not yet provide sufficient micro-level discussion of the more detailed institutional operations underlying introduction activities or the China-U.S. relationships in specific practical contexts. In addition, this paper mainly examines the flow of plant resources to the United States and its impacts, but it has not systematically assessed the potential long-term effects of these exportation activities on China’s local ecosystems and social structures.
These limitations also point to several research directions that warrant further in-depth pursuit. First, future studies could incorporate cross-national and multilingual archival materials for systematic triangulation, with particular emphasis on excavating records from domestic research institutions, local archives, and scholars across different countries to more comprehensively reveal both the collaborative relations and structural tensions among actors within transnational plant-introduction networks. Second, along the temporal chain of “introduction-naturalization-invasion,” researchers could continue to track the ecological performance and long-term utilization trajectories of introduced taxa in recipient regions, thereby assessing the bioinvasion risks and enduring economic value associated with historical introductions, as well as their implications for contemporary transregional cooperation in plant resources. Finally, by situating the history of plant introduction from China within broader frameworks of global environmental history and the history of science, and by comparing the organizational forms, goal orientations, and practical pathways of plant collecting in China across different countries, scholarship can deepen our understanding of the relationships between knowledge circulation and resource flows in modern scientific activity.
In sum, by reconstructing the historical process of USDA plant collections in China from 1898 to 1949, this study not only elucidates the institutional logic, economic orientations, and historical contexts underpinning the transnational circulation of plant resources, but also provides a historical reference for reflecting on asymmetries in global scientific collaboration, resource sovereignty, and issues of ecological heritage. From a longer-term perspective, a systematic review of the history of plant collections in China helps to reassess the position of China’s indigenous plant resources within the global plant system and offers empirical lessons for contemporary crop introduction, ornamental plant selection, and biodiversity conservation. If future work can further expand the spatiotemporal coverage of global introduction histories and deepen the integration and comparative analysis of multiple historical datasets, historical research will be able to play a more active and enduring role in linking an understanding of plant-diversity dynamics with support for contemporary ecological governance in practice.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, S.C. and R.W.; data curation, S.C., X.H. and J.L.; methodology, S.C. and K.W.; formal analysis, S.C. and J.L.; visualization, S.C. and K.W.; writing—original draft preparation, S.C.; writing—review and editing, G.W., B.P. and R.W.; supervision, R.W. and Z.B. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Data Availability Statement

Data are contained within the article.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Abbreviations

The following abbreviations are used in this manuscript:
ABSAccess and Benefit-Sharing
CVHChinese Virtual Herbarium
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility
ITPGRFAInternational Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
NALNational Agricultural Library
SPIOffice of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction
USDAUnited States Department of Agriculture

Appendix A

Appendix A.1

Table A1. Detailed table of plant-introduction sites in China by the United States.
Table A1. Detailed table of plant-introduction sites in China by the United States.
NumberProvincial-LevelCityCount
1AnhuiBengbu12
Bozhou1
Chizhou20
Chuzhou14
Fuyang40
Hefei50
Huangshan10
Lu’an6
Suzhou3
Tongling2
Xuancheng2
/37
2Beijing/1748
3Chongqing/29
4FujianFuzhou117
Nanping22
Ningde5
Putian4
Xiamen17
/4
5GansuDingxi18
Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture104
Jiuquan1
Lanzhou37
Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture16
Longnan40
Pingliang4
Zhangye5
/56
6GuangdongChaozhou5
Dongguan3
Foshan12
Guangzhou706
Heyuan9
Huizhou7
Jiangmen7
Jieyang1
Maoming3
Meizhou19
Qingyuan14
Shantou17
Shaoguan41
Yangjiang4
Yunfu4
Zhanjiang3
Zhaoqing30
Zhongshan4
/80
7Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionBaise1
Beihai1
Guilin39
Hezhou4
Liuzhou5
Nanning3
Wuzhou14
Yulin (Guangxi)55
/28
8GuizhouQiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture3
Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture1
Tongren85
Zunyi7
/6
9HainanDanzhou10
Lingshui Li Autonomous County1
Qiongzhong Li and Miao Autonomous County3
Sanya5
Wenchang3
Wuzhishan2
/12
10HebeiBaoding203
Cangzhou6
Chengde95
Handan17
Langfang13
Qinhuangdao126
Shijiazhuang10
Tangshan148
Zhangjiakou171
/227
11HeilongjiangBaicheng1
Harbin794
Heihe34
Jiamusi22
Jixi30
Mudanjiang388
Qiqihar70
Suihua5
Yichun4
/64
12HenanAnyang7
Kaifeng20
Luoyang2
Nanyang1
Pingdingshan1
Sanmenxia9
Xinxiang3
Xinyang4
Xuchang7
Zhengzhou16
/56
13Hong Kong/69
14HubeiEnshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture9
Huanggang2
Jingmen18
Jingzhou3
Shiyan1
Suizhou3
Wuhan236
Xiangyang10
Yichang164
/129
15HunanChangsha15
Chenzhou2
Huaihua9
Xiangtan1
Yongzhou2
/44
16Inner Mongolia Autonomous RegionAlxa League1
Bayannur2
Chifeng1
Hinggan League2
Hohhot5
Hulunbuir34
Ulanqab2
/357
17JiangsuHuai’an6
Nanjing2216
Nantong2
Suzhou134
Taizhou (Jiangsu)1
Wuxi10
Xuzhou1
Yancheng2
Yangzhou3
Zhenjiang8
/6
18JiangxiFuzhou15
Ganzhou24
Ji’an36
Jiujiang150
Nanchang20
Shangrao35
Yichun (Jiangxi)19
/46
19JilinBaicheng7
Baishan6
Changchun275
Jilin466
Liaoyuan3
Panshi1
Siping4
Songyuan4
Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture27
/38
20LiaoningAnshan16
Dalian106
Dandong23
Fushun12
Huludao2
Jinzhou47
Liaoyang45
Shenyang74
Tieling26
Yingkou38
/9
21Macao/1
22Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region/3
23QinghaiHaidong1
Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture5
Xining2
/2
24ShaanxiBaoji25
Weinan40
Xi’an87
Xianyang3
Yan’an1
/16
25ShandongDezhou24
Heze34
Jinan34
Jining9
Linyi2
Qingdao14
Tai’an63
Weifang67
Weihai12
Yantai40
Zaozhuang3
Zibo12
/36
26Shanghai/184
27ShanxiChangzhi7
Datong1
Jincheng1
Jinzhong2
Linfen1
Taiyuan28
Wenshui County1
Xijiangou1
Xinzhou42
Yangquan1
Yuncheng30
/16
28SichuanAba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture4
Chengdu34
Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture45
Leshan67
Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture384
Luzhou1
Mianyang1
Nanchong4
Panshi1
Ya’an92
Yibin5
/264
29TaiwanChiayi1
Hualien2
Nantou2
New Taipei3
Tainan4
Taipei19
/367
30Tianjin/203
31XizangNgari Prefecture7
Nyingchi127
Qamdo3
Shannan7
Shigatse20
/125
32XinjiangAksu Prefecture9
Hami3
Hotan Prefecture61
Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture135
Kashgar Prefecture188
Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture16
Turpan3
/39
33YunnanBaoshan54
Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture86
Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture9
Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture593
Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture1
Kunming6
Lijiang555
Lincang9
Nujiang3
Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture257
Pu’er39
Qujing2
Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture1
Zhaotong2
/348
34ZhejiangHangzhou247
Huzhou18
Jiaxing10
Jinhua15
Lishui3
Ningbo27
Quzhou2
Shaoxing30
Taizhou (Zhejiang)11
Wenzhou6
Zhoushan3
/51
//7086

Appendix A.2

Table A2. Interannual distribution of U.S. plant-introduction records from China.
Table A2. Interannual distribution of U.S. plant-introduction records from China.
NumberYearCountProportion (%)
118981160.5%
21899470.2%
31900740.3%
419011710.7%
51902530.2%
61903110.0%
71904300.1%
819052631.1%
919063721.6%
1019072691.1%
1119087643.2%
1219091490.6%
1319102060.9%
1419114451.9%
151912300.1%
1619131200.5%
1719143801.6%
1819153781.6%
1919161450.6%
2019173541.5%
2119182150.9%
2219191810.8%
2319201880.8%
2419212140.9%
2519224932.1%
2619234331.8%
27192410374.3%
28192513985.9%
291926244610.2%
30192720628.6%
3119282120.9%
32192915486.5%
33193010784.5%
34193110104.2%
35193210404.4%
3619336412.7%
3719343541.5%
3819356212.6%
3919363021.3%
4019372291.0%
4119389644.0%
4219391240.5%
4319405822.4%
4419412000.8%
45194270.0%
461943350.1%
4719441310.5%
481945310.1%
4919463831.6%
50194710614.4%
5119481260.5%
5219491140.5%
53/530.2%

Appendix A.3

Table A3. List of plant introducers in China, number of introductions, and proportions.
Table A3. List of plant introducers in China, number of introductions, and proportions.
NumberIntroducerCountProportion (%)
1A. A. Rachkowsky110.06%
2A. A. Williamson70.04%
3A. C. Hartless40.02%
4A. C. Hartless, A. Howard10.01%
5A. C. Selmon10.01%
6A. Chevalier10.01%
7A. D. Woeikoff3641.86%
8A. Dessert1020.52%
9A. E. Evans40.02%
10A. E. V. Richardson20.01%
11A. F. Uffor190.10%
12A. Gerard90.05%
13A. Gerard, La Fosse60.03%
14A. H. Mateer10.01%
15A. H. Mugnusson10.01%
16A. H. Page30.02%
17A. J. Fisher30.02%
18A. J. Perkins10.01%
19A. K. Bulley230.12%
20A. K. Smith200.10%
21A. Kol40.02%
22A. L. Carson30.02%
23A. L. Peaslee10.01%
24A. Meunissier10.01%
25A. N. Steward2321.18%
26A. N. Steward, H. C. Cheo940.48%
27A. O. Loosley110.06%
28A. P. Ding10.01%
29A. P. Hjinski30.02%
30A. P. Wilder70.06%
31A. Pasquier des Mazis10.01%
32A. R. Munday10.02%
33A. Robertson20.04%
34A. S. Cooper100.01%
35A. Sugden340.01%
36A. V. Armour30.01%
37A. W. Danforth10.05%
38A. W. Hill1100.17%
39A. W. Pontius220.02%
40Abbe Delavay20.01%
41Adn. Hernandez10.56%
42Adolf Kutin10.11%
43Agilulfus Preda10.01%
44Al. Borza10.01%
45Alfred Rehder170.01%
46Alice Reed110.01%
47Alleyne Leechman10.01%
48Alwin Berger190.09%
49Andrew Tse330.06%
50Anna Carrere, P. H. Dorsett, W. J. Morse10.01%
51Annie Andersen10.10%
52Atherton Lee20.17%
53Augustine Henry20.01%
54Axel Lange10.01%
55B. C. Patterson30.01%
56B. C. Pattn10.01%
57B. E. Read10.01%
58B. Harrison10.02%
59B. L. Issatschenko40.01%
60B. M. Flory560.01%
61B. O. Clark80.01%
62B. S. Leung10.02%
63B. T. Galloway10.29%
64B. W. Skvortzow3510.04%
65B. Y. Morrison10.01%
66B. Youngblood70.01%
67Berthold Laufer21.79%
68Bretschneider70.01%
69C. A. Reed460.04%
70C. A. Salquist10.01%
71C. B. Holton20.04%
72C. B. Lesher10.23%
73C. C. Chang10.01%
74C. D. Bell10.01%
75C. D. Holton10.01%
76C. E. Bornfield10.01%
77C. E. Bousfield70.01%
78C. E. Gauss40.01%
79C. F. Baker10.01%
80C. F. Chou40.02%
81C. F. Deichman10.01%
82C. F. Snyder30.02%
83C. G. Davitt10.01%
84C. G. Patten10.01%
85C. H. Heh, F. A. McClure140.07%
86C. H. Lyon20.01%
87C. H. Riggs20.01%
88C. H. Tuck20.01%
89C. J. Hunn10.01%
90C. K. Sheng10.01%
91C. M. Hehm4182.13%
92C. M. Jaquette10.01%
93C. O. Levine10.01%
94C. R. Kellogg160.08%
95C. R. Srinivasa10.01%
96C. S. Ford40.02%
97C. S. Loh20.01%
98C. S. Sargent110.06%
99C. S. Vomero10.01%
100C. Skottsberg40.02%
101C. T. White10.01%
102C. U. Shepard20.01%
103C. V. Piper100.05%
104C. W. Mateer20.01%
105Camillo Schneider180.09%
106Chang Chong10.01%
107Charles Simpson10.01%
108Chi Pao Yu100.05%
109Chin Tu200.10%
110Chung Hsiung Li120.06%
111Clarence Elliott20.01%
112Cockerell10.01%
113D. Bois70.04%
114D. C. Graham90.05%
115D. C. Sowers20.01%
116D. D. Main20.01%
117D. D. Main, J. H. Judson20.01%
118D. F. Higgins40.02%
119D. G. Fairchild190.10%
120D. G. Fairchild, P. H. Dorsett30.02%
121D. K. Faris10.01%
122D. MacGregor40.02%
123David Prain970.49%
124David Whitcomb10.01%
125Douglas Jenkins90.05%
126E. A. Bessey10.01%
127E. A. Mcllhenny10.01%
128E. A. Moseley10.01%
129E. A. Turner10.01%
130E. Andre10.01%
131E. C. Baker20.01%
132E. C. Parker400.20%
133E. Cotes30.02%
134E. D. Merrill50.03%
135E. Debras20.01%
136E. E. Berkley10.01%
137E. Foster10.01%
138E. H. Wilson1150.59%
139E. J. Gordon10.01%
140E. K. Lowry20.01%
141E. L. Lutz20.01%
142E. May30.02%
143E. Q. Knight10.01%
144E. S. Cunningham80.04%
145E. S. Little110.06%
146E. T. Shields210.11%
147E. V. Wilcox10.01%
148E. W. Erlanson10.01%
149E. Widler100.05%
150Edmond Versin30.02%
151Edward Shim200.10%
152Edwin Beckett220.11%
153Ellsworth Huntington330.17%
154Eric Walther20.01%
155F. A. McClure10985.60%
156F. A. Thackery10.01%
157F. B. Whitmore80.04%
158F. C. Reimer730.37%
159F. C. Stern60.03%
160F. D. Cloud80.04%
161F. D. Fisher530.27%
162F. G. Krauss140.07%
163F. G. Preston10.01%
164F. G. Walsingham50.03%
165F. J. Chittenden10.01%
166F. J. White60.03%
167F. K. Ward460.23%
168F. L. Skinner10.01%
169F. L. Tai80.04%
170F. M. Rogers10.01%
171F. N. Meyer231011.78%
172F. P. Metcalf40.02%
173F. T. Pursh10.01%
174F. W. Goding10.01%
175F. W. Schumacher20.01%
176Feng-Hwai Chen1070.55%
177Frank Dickinson380.19%
178Frank pilson20.01%
179G. B. Newman10.01%
180G. C. Hanson90.05%
181G. Coonredt30.02%
182G. D. Brill1840.94%
183G. D. Brill, J. W. Gilmore510.26%
184G. D. Schlosser390.20%
185G. E. Anderson10.01%
186G. E. Baker30.02%
187G. E. Ritchey10.01%
188G. F. Bickford100.05%
189G. F. Chipman20.01%
190G. G. Lane10.01%
191G. H. Cave120.06%
192G. H. Williams10.01%
193G. H. Wollaston10.01%
194G. Johnson130.07%
195G. L. Taylor20.01%
196G. N. Cave10.01%
197G. P. Rixford10.01%
198G. Regel20.01%
199G. Regnard10.01%
200G. Ruethe50.03%
201G. Takata60.03%
202G. V. Heintz10.01%
203G. W. Groff1900.97%
204G. W. Yalder10.01%
205Gaston Negre40.02%
206Geo Campbell30.02%
207George Campbell120.06%
208George Forrest680.35%
209George MacCartney30.02%
210Glenn Dale10.01%
211Goodnow10.01%
212H. A. Conard30.02%
213H. A. Hesse30.02%
214H. A. Morgan10.01%
215H. A. Wallace620.32%
216H. B. Miller20.01%
217H. C. Brownell200.10%
218H. C. Chang30.02%
219H. C. Kip10.01%
220H. C. Skeels460.23%
221H. E. Allanson110.06%
222H. E. Gange40.02%
223H. F. Blount10.01%
224H. G. Baugh10.01%
225H. G. Carter80.04%
226H. G. MacMillan, J. L. Stephens760.39%
227H. Green80.04%
228H. H. Boyle20.01%
229H. H. Chung680.35%
230H. H. Sink30.02%
231H. J. Openshaw80.04%
232H. K. Fu560.29%
233H. L. Crane560.29%
234H. L. Lantz10.01%
235H. L. Lyon20.01%
236H. L. Reaves30.02%
237H. L. Westover, C. R. Enlow10.01%
238H. Loomis10.01%
239H. M. Curran10.01%
240H. M. Wanser10.01%
241H. O. Jacohson80.04%
242H. P. Perkins30.02%
243H. R. Reed20.01%
244H. R. Wright10.01%
245H. S. Cousins10.01%
246H. W. Hale10.01%
247H. W. Houlding40.02%
248H. W. Hubbard140.07%
249H. W. Li120.06%
250H. W. Luce10.01%
251H. W. Robinson10.01%
252H. W. White40.02%
253H. W. Wiley80.04%
254Haage, Schmidt10.01%
255Hamilton Butler30.02%
256Harry White150.08%
257Henry Correvon60.03%
258Henry McLaren1360.69%
259Howard Richards280.14%
260Hsen-Hsu Hu210.11%
261Hugh Evans20.01%
262Hugh Scallanu10.01%
263I. B. Balfour10.01%
264I. J. Condit170.09%
265I. Kawakami30.02%
266J. A. Fitch30.02%
267J. A. Hamilton10.01%
268J. A. Marriott30.02%
269J. A. Rosen70.04%
270J. Adams130.07%
271J. B. Davy10.01%
272J. B. Neal20.01%
273J. B. Norton670.34%
274J. C. Allgrove10.01%
275J. C. Huston70.04%
276J. C. McNally, Edgar Kopp10.01%
277J. C. R. Yang10.01%
278J. D. Fullerton10.01%
279J. E. Ferguson10.01%
280J. E. Higgins10.01%
281J. E. Shoemaker10.01%
282J. E. Walker30.02%
283J. F. Anderson80.04%
284J. F. Jewell30.02%
285J. F. Jones10.01%
286J. F. Kelly20.01%
287J. F. Peat40.02%
288J. F. Rock16608.46%
289J. G. Cole100.05%
290J. G. Jack60.03%
291J. Gillet10.01%
292J. H. Arnold10.01%
293J. H. Giffin10.01%
294J. H. Judson20.01%
295J. H. Reisner390.20%
296J. K. Davis50.03%
297J. K. Robb20.01%
298J. L. Buck120.06%
299J. L. Stuart90.05%
300J. L. Taylor10.01%
301J. L. Young10.01%
302J. M. Farnham20.01%
303J. M. Gibb50.03%
304J. M. Nixon20.01%
305J. M. Swan150.08%
306J. M. W. Farnham690.35%
307J. N. Henry30.02%
308J. N. Rose10.01%
309J. R. Huffaker20.01%
310J. R. Stevenson90.05%
311J. S. Whitewright30.02%
312J. W. Crew10.01%
313J. W. Dyson50.03%
314J. W. Hawley40.02%
315J. W. Rewiakin20.01%
316James Johnston10.01%
317Jill Cossley-Batt60.03%
318John Berkin40.02%
319John Dunbar100.05%
320John Tee-Van20.01%
321John Tull10.01%
322John V. A.10.01%
323Joseph Bailie450.23%
324Joseph Hers10.01%
325Josslyn Gore-Booth10.01%
326K. C. Li10.01%
327K. Kanda20.01%
328K. M. Gordon350.18%
329K. M. Talmage, L. W. Kip10.01%
330K. S. Liu10.01%
331Kintaro Oshima10.01%
332Knap Hill20.01%
333Koo Kwai Fan, F. A. McClure230.12%
334L. A. Lovegren, D. J. Moriarty30.02%
335L. A. Whi10.01%
336L. C. Hylbert30.02%
337L. C. Lin50.03%
338L. D. Rothschild8714.44%
339L. E. M. Kelly10.01%
340L. H. Roots10.01%
341L. J. Doolittle10.01%
342L. J. Mackintosh, J. F. Rock30.02%
343L. Koch30.02%
344L. Maynard20.01%
345L. Ptitsin1520.77%
346L. R. Parodi20.01%
347L. S. Palen150.08%
348L. S. Wilcox50.03%
349L. Spath, Berlin10.01%
350L. W. Kip, J. M. Nixon10.01%
351La Mortola Gardens130.07%
352Lady Harriet10.01%
353Lee10.01%
354Leo Bergholz10.01%
355Leon Chenault150.08%
356Leslie Hancock240.12%
357Lester Maynard60.03%
358Lord Aberconway280.14%
359Lord Headfort10.01%
360Louise Campbell40.02%
361Luis Guillot10.01%
362M. A. Carleton10.01%
363M. Akemine30.02%
364M. Buysman10.01%
365M. Chara100.05%
366M. Juliana10.01%
367M. L. de Vilmorin120.06%
368M. L. Hancock10.01%
369M. L. Parde500.25%
370M. Poilane10.01%
371M. Simon10.01%
372M. Takata20.01%
373M. Towaza30.02%
374M. Toyonaga10.01%
375M. Treub20.01%
376M. W. Farnham200.10%
377M. Walker10.01%
378Maurice Vilmorin30.02%
379Moses Swen270.14%
380N. E. Hansen1080.55%
381N. G. Gee450.23%
382N. Glowkhoff90.05%
383N. H. Cowdry300.15%
384N. I. Vavilov10.01%
385N. Kristiansen10.01%
386N. M. Ward40.02%
387N. T. Johnson60.03%
388Nathaniel Fedde10.01%
389Nelson10.01%
390Nicholas Tsu10.01%
391Nightingale140.07%
392O. A. Reinking10.01%
393O. F. Cook10.01%
394O. Juel20.01%
395O. L. Dawson400.20%
396O. L. Meng50.03%
397O. M. McConkey20.01%
398O. W. Barrett30.02%
399P. D. Barnhart10.01%
400P. D. Bergen40.02%
401P. F. Constatinoff3311.69%
402P. G. Sylvain190.10%
403P. H. Dorsett363018.51%
404P. H. Dorsett, A. D. Shamel, Wilson Popenoe10.01%
405P. H. Dorsett, W. J. Morse12176.20%
406P. H. Josselyn10.01%
407P. J. Berckmans10.01%
408P. J. Wester30.02%
409P. Kohli10.01%
410P. M. Bayne40.02%
411P. Morange10.01%
412P. P. Mirksch30.02%
413P. Pavlov20.01%
414P. R. Josselyn10.01%
415P. S. Evans10.01%
416P. S. Heintzleman10.01%
417Paul Jameson10.01%
418Paul Russell190.10%
419Paula Ritter200.10%
420Peter Liu7183.66%
421Pie-Chong Yieh30.02%
422Przewalski20.01%
423R. A. Currie10.01%
424R. A. Haden, B. D380.19%
425R. A. Young20.01%
426R. B. Fradhan, D. S. Fradhan10.01%
427R. C. Berckmans20.01%
428R. C. Ching1800.92%
429R. C. Schomberg80.04%
430R. C. Wells20.01%
431R. D. Wolcot10.01%
432R. de Noter10.01%
433R. E. Fries50.03%
434R. G. Coonradt210.11%
435R. G. Johnson280.14%
436R. G. Mills10.01%
437R. H. Lefever120.06%
438R. H. Porter10.01%
439R. H. Sawyer10.01%
440R. H. True10.01%
441R. I. Lynch50.03%
442R. J. Felgate20.01%
443R. J. Gordon30.02%
444R. K. Beattie70.04%
445R. Kanchira30.02%
446R. M. Grey40.02%
447R. M. Lewis160.08%
448R. R. Stewart20.01%
449R. S. Greene20.01%
450R. Salgues30.02%
451R. T. Moyer140.07%
452R. Watanabe30.02%
453R. Wellwood40.02%
454Rasul Galwan10.01%
455Reginald Kaye10.01%
456Rene Bourgeois10.01%
457Rossiter, O. L. Dawson10.01%
458S. A. Ellerbeck10.01%
459S. A. Knapp140.07%
460S. B. Green10.01%
461S. C. Reat20.01%
462S. D. Hsiao70.04%
463S. G. Bedell10.01%
464S. J. Fuller10.01%
465S. L. Gracey60.03%
466S. Osawa80.04%
467S. P. Barchet200.10%
468S. P. Warner20.01%
469S. S. Knabenshue30.02%
470S. T. Dunn90.05%
471S. W. McLeod110.06%
472S. Youngberg20.01%
473Samuel Cochran120.06%
474San Yuan Hsien20.01%
475Schinichi Terada10.01%
476Sheo Wang70.04%
477Silvio Ronzone100.05%
478Soares10.01%
479Sullivant Hoffman10.01%
480T. B. Lathrop, D. Fairchild500.25%
481T. B. Neal10.01%
482T. C. Chin20.01%
483T. D. A. Cockerell10.01%
484T. D. Holmes30.02%
485T. D. Payne20.01%
486T. E. Griffith30.02%
487T. F. Yu20.01%
488T. H. Coole10.01%
489T. H. Kearney60.03%
490T. H. Parsons10.01%
491T. H. Shen1110.57%
492T. M. Wilkinson90.05%
493T. Minami10.01%
494T. Nakai10.01%
495T. S. Kuo110.06%
496T. Smith20.01%
497T. T. Wang40.02%
498T. T. Yu6413.27%
499T. W. Brown10.01%
500T. W. Mitchell10.01%
501T. Watanabe10.01%
502T. Y. Wang20.01%
503Takiya Kawakami30.02%
504Tanaka Boekibu10.01%
505Theophane Maguire30.02%
506Thomas Griffith10.01%
507Thomas Sammons540.28%
508Ts’ao Julin100.05%
509Tu Chio-Pao20.01%
510Ung Wah20.01%
511V. K. Boerich50.03%
512Veit Wittrock20.01%
513Vicary Gibbs970.49%
514Vicary Gibbs, E. Beckett130.07%
515Victor Hanson10.01%
516W. A. Archer20.01%
517W. A. Constable70.04%
518W. B. Schober10.01%
519W. C. Cheng10.01%
520W. C. Lowdermilk370.19%
521W. E. Th. Ingwersen10.01%
522W. F. Beaman10.01%
523W. F. Hayward10.01%
524W. G. Peckham, J. N. Gotha10.01%
525W. H. Dobson120.06%
526W. H. Judd20.01%
527W. H. Ruhl120.06%
528W. H. Wallace10.01%
529W. J. Marchant260.13%
530W. J. Tutcher190.10%
531W. L. G. Edson20.01%
532W. M. Docters10.01%
533W. M. Hayes50.03%
534W. N. Brewster50.03%
535W. N. Koelz180.09%
536W. O. Wolcott10.01%
537W. Paddock10.01%
538W. S. Ament20.01%
539W. S. Sweet110.06%
540W. T. Chang10.01%
541W. T. Gracey10.01%
542W. T. Pope10.01%
543W. T. Swingle770.39%
544W. V. Fleet50.03%
545W. W. Moss20.01%
546W. W. Simpson210.11%
547W. W. Smith450.23%
548W. W. Williams10.01%
549W. Wada10.01%
550W. Watson20.01%
551W. Y. Chun30.02%
552Walsingham10.01%
553Wang Tai Yih70.04%
554William Bembower10.01%
555William Hahman10.01%
556William Hertrich10.01%
557William Martin10.01%
558William Millward10.01%
559William Tricker10.01%
560Wilson Popenoe10.01%
561Y. K. Yang80.04%
562Y. L. Keng10.01%
563Y. S. Allen10.01%
564Y. S. Tsiang60.03%
565Yamei Kin430.22%
566Yung Kwai10.01%
552Walsingham10.01%
553Wang Tai Yih70.04%
554William Bembower10.01%
555William Hahman10.01%
556William Hertrich10.01%
557William Martin10.01%
558William Millward10.01%
559William Tricker10.01%
560Wilson Popenoe10.01%
561Y. K. Yang80.04%
562Y. L. Keng10.01%
563Y. S. Allen10.01%
564Y. S. Tsiang60.03%
565Yamei Kin430.22%
566Yung Kwai10.01%

Appendix A.4

Table A4. List of plant introducers in China, number of introductions, and proportions.
Table A4. List of plant introducers in China, number of introductions, and proportions.
NumberFamilyCountGenusCountSpeciesCount
1Acanthaceae2Strobilanthes2Strobilanthes forrestii1
Strobilanthes versicolor1
2Acoraceae1Acorus1 / /
3Actinidiaceae54Actinidia47 / /
Actinidia arguta2
Actinidia callosa14
Actinidia chinensis3
Actinidia kolomikta1
Actinidia polygama2
Actinidia rubricaulis var. coriacea2
Actinidia venosa2
Clematoclethra7Clematoclethra scandens ssp. actinidioides7
4Akaniaceae6Bretschneidera6Bretschneidera sinensis6
5Alismataceae20Sagittaria20Sagittaria sagittifolia20
6Altingiaceae4Altingia2Altingia chinensis2
Liquidambar2Liquidambar formosana2
7Amaranthaceae96Achyranthes1Achyranthes bidentata1
Agriophyllum1Agriophyllum pungens1
Amaranthus17Amaranthus caudatus1
Amaranthus cruentus5
Amaranthus tricolor11
Bassia1Bassia scoparia1
Beta25Beta vulgaris25
Celosia10Celosia argentea9
Celosia cristata1
Chenopodium2Chenopodium album2
Spinacia39Spinacia oleracea39
8Amaryllidaceae125Allium116Allium beesianum2
Allium cepa36
Allium cyaneum9
Allium farreri3
Allium fistulosum10
Allium macrostemon1
Allium mairei3
Allium porrum4
Allium ramosum1
Allium sativum13
Allium schoenoprasum3
Allium senescens1
Allium sikkimense4
Allium subangulatum1
Allium tanguticum1
Allium wallichii1
Lycoris8Lycoris aurea2
Lycoris radiata2
Zephyranthes1Zephyranthes carinata1
9Anacardiaceae1151Choerospondias3Choerospondias axillaris9
Cotinus43Cotinus coggygria1
Dracontomelon1Dracontomelon duperreanum1
MangiferaMangifera indica1
Pistacia23Pistacia chinensis2
Pistacia weinmanniifolia91
Rhus1077Rhus potaninii3
Rhus punjabensis3
Toxicodendron4Toxicodendron sylvestre2
Toxicodendron vernicifluum5
10Annonaceae5Annona3 / /
ArtabotrysArtabotrys hexapetalus1
DesmosDesmos chinensis1
Uvaria2Uvaria calamistrata2
11Apiaceae41Carum3 / /
Chaerophyllum1 / /
Cortia2 / /
Ferula1 / /
Ligusticum2 / /
Peucedanum1 / /
Pleurospermum2 / /
Sanicula / /
Selinum3 / /
Seseli1 / /
Anethum4Anethum graveolens2
AngelicaAngelica dahurica1
Angelica decursiva1
Apium2Apium graveolens20
Coriandrum3Coriandrum sativum14
Daucus11Daucus carota31
Foeniculum1Foeniculum dulce2
Foeniculum vulgare3
Pastinaca4Pastinaca sativa3
12Apocynaceae83Asclepias2 / /
Marsdenia1 / /
Apocynum12Apocynum venetum2
Carissa38Carissa bispinosa1
Cynanchum1Cynanchum auriculatum1
Cynanchum rostellatum1
Dregea15Dregea sinensis1
Periploca2Periploca sepium2
Telosma5Telosma cordata1
Toxocarpus7Toxocarpus wightianus1
13Aquifoliaceae76Ilex76Ilex aquifolium1
Ilex chinensis3
Ilex corallina3
Ilex cornuta5
Ilex delavayi1
Ilex fargesii2
Ilex latifolia1
Ilex macropoda1
Ilex micrococca3
Ilex pedunculosa2
Ilex pernyi6
Ilex pubescens1
Ilex rotunda5
Ilex sugerokii1
Ilex triflora1
Ilex venulosa1
Ilex wilsonii2
Ilex wuana1
Ilex yunnanensis2
14Araceae123Xanthosoma1 / /
Arisaema3Arisaema heterophyllum2
Colocasia15Colocasia esculenta28
Pinellia78Pinellia ternata17
Pothos26Pothos scandens1
15Araliaceae72Acanthopanax10 / /
Brassaiopsis1 / /
Hedera / /
Schefflera / /
Aralia14Aralia chinensis3
Aralia elata4
Aralia elata var. glabrescens2
Eleutherococcus22Eleutherococcus giraldii1
Eleutherococcus lasiogyne2
Eleutherococcus leucorrhizus2
Eleutherococcus leucorrhizus var. setchuenensis1
Eleutherococcus senticosus5
Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus8
Eleutherococcus setosus3
Gamblea10Gamblea ciliata2
Heptapleurum1Heptapleurum hoi1
KalopanaxKalopanax septemlobus1
Metapanax2Metapanax davidii2
Panax12Panax quinquefolius1
16Arecaceae158Calamus2 / /
Livistona111Livistona chinensis1
Phoenix3Phoenix dactylifera1
Phoenix loureiroi2
Rhapis41Rhapis excelsa8
Trachycarpus1Trachycarpus fortunei1
17Aristolochiaceae16Aristolochia1Aristolochia debilis1
Isotrema15Isotrema mollissimum1
18Asparagaceae218Maianthemum1 / /
Polygonatum4 / /
Scilla1 / /
Anemarrhena13Anemarrhena asphodeloides1
Asparagus35Asparagus cochinchinensis3
Asparagus dauricus1
Asparagus neglectus1
Asparagus schoberioides2
Barnardia4Barnardia japonica4
Convallaria9Convallaria majalis2
Hosta31Hosta ventricosa3
Liriope111Liriope graminifolia70
Ophiopogon2Ophiopogon japonicus1
Polianthes7Polianthes tuberosa1
19Asphodelaceae35Dianella3Dianella caerulea1
Dianella ensifolia2
Eremurus2Eremurus chinensis1
Hemerocallis30Hemerocallis citrina2
Hemerocallis forrestii2
Hemerocallis fulva1
20Asteraceae3577Arctium1 / /
Centaurea / /
Chondrilla / /
Sonchus / /
Adenostemma3Adenostemma lavenia1
Anaphalis4Anaphalis nepalensis1
Anaphalis sinica1
Artemisia6Artemisia annua2
Aster35Aster batangensis4
Aster fuscescens1
Aster hispidus3
Aster lautureanus1
Aster yunnanensis2
Calendula1Calendula officinalis3
Callistephus2Callistephus chinensis24
Carthamus16Carthamus tinctorius3
Chrysanthemum3Chrysanthemum indicum4
Chrysanthemum × morifolium4
Cremanthodium59Cremanthodium campanulatum1
Cremanthodium farreri1
Cremanthodium nobile1
Cremanthodium rhodocephalum7
Dolomiaea5Dolomiaea edulis1
Doronicum1Doronicum stenoglossum1
Erigeron3Erigeron multiradiatus2
Eupatorium11Eupatorium japonicum1
Glebionis3029Glebionis coronaria14
Helianthus13Helianthus annuus62
Helianthus tuberosus1
Hypochaeris76Hypochaeris ciliata1
Inula118Inula grandis1
Inula hookeri2
Inula rhizocephala1
Ixeris95Ixeris chinensis2
Lactuca1Lactuca indica2
Lactuca sativa37
Ligularia42Ligularia stenoglossa1
Ligularia veitchiana1
Pertya1Pertya sinensis1
PetasitesPetasites radiatus1
Saussurea14Saussurea amara1
Saussurea gossipiphora1
Saussurea graminea1
Saussurea leucoma1
Senecio2Senecio scandens1
SigesbeckiaSigesbeckia orientalis2
Strobocalyx32Strobocalyx bockiana1
Tagetes1Tagetes erecta5
TaraxacumTaraxacum officinale1
Zinnia3Zinnia elegans3
21Balsaminaceae23Impatiens23Impatiens balsamina14
Impatiens delavayi1
Impatiens noli-tangere1
22Basellaceae1Basella1Basella alba1
23Begoniaceae37Begonia37Begonia grandis1
24Berberidaceae240Podophyllum4 / /
Berberis196Berberis acuminata4
Berberis aemulans1
Berberis aggregata12
Berberis amoena2
Berberis amurensis2
Berberis atrocarpa1
Berberis beaniana2
Berberis bergmanniae2
Berberis bergmanniae var. acanthophylla1
Berberis brachypoda7
Berberis candidula1
Berberis chinensis3
Berberis circumserrata2
Berberis coryi1
Berberis dasystachya1
Berberis delavayi1
Berberis diaphana1
Berberis dictyophylla8
Berberis dielsiana4
Berberis dubia1
Berberis francisci-ferdinandi4
Berberis gagnepainii7
Berberis gilgiana3
Berberis henryana2
Berberis jamesiana1
Berberis julianae5
Berberis lecomtei2
Berberis levis1
Berberis mekongensis1
Berberis pallens1
Berberis poiretii7
Berberis polyantha6
Berberis potaninii3
Berberis prattii1
Berberis pruinosa2
Berberis quelpaertensis1
Berberis replicata2
Berberis salicaria1
Berberis sanguinea2
Berberis sargentiana4
Berberis silva-taroucana1
Berberis soulieana3
Berberis thibetica2
Berberis tischleri4
Berberis triacanthophora1
Berberis veitchii2
Berberis vernae3
Berberis verruculosa3
Berberis virgetorum1
Berberis wilsoniae16
Berberis yunnanensis6
Caulophyllum31Caulophyllum robustum1
Mahonia6Mahonia bealei1
Mahonia fortunei2
Mahonia japonica1
Mahonia oiwakensis1
Nandina1Nandina domestica1
Sinopodophyllum2Sinopodophyllum hexandrum1
25Betulaceae127Alnus79Alnus hirsuta1
Alnus japonica4
Alnus nepalensis1
Alnus trabeculosa1
Betula4Betula costata2
Betula davurica1
Betula fruticosa2
Betula luminifera1
Betula pendula ssp. mandshurica3
Betula pendula ssp. szechuanica2
Betula platyphylla3
Betula utilis1
Carpinus38Carpinus cordata2
Carpinus fargesiana var. ovalifolia1
Carpinus laxiflora2
Carpinus tschonoskii1
Carpinus turczaninovii5
Corylus5Corylus chinensis7
Corylus ferox3
Corylus ferox var. tibetica2
Corylus heterophylla6
Corylus sieboldiana5
Corylus tibetica3
Ostrya1Ostrya japonica1
26Bignoniaceae136Radermachera1 / /
Catalpa31Catalpa bungei9
Catalpa duclouxii1
Catalpa fargesii3
Catalpa ovata1
Incarvillea23Incarvillea arguta1
Incarvillea compacta1
Incarvillea delavayi1
Incarvillea lutea5
Incarvillea mairei1
Incarvillea mairei var. grandiflora5
Incarvillea sinensis5
Markhamia80Markhamia stipulata var. kerrii3
Oroxylum1Oroxylum indicum1523
27Boraginaceae10Ehretia2 / /
Trigonotis1 / /
Cynoglossum7Cynoglossum amabile1
Cynoglossum triste1
28Brassicaceae176Alyssum2 / /
Hesperis / /
Armoracia1Armoracia rusticana1
Brassica6Brassica juncea27
Brassica juncea var. napiformis2
Brassica napus4
Brassica oleracea15
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis1
Brassica oleracea var. capitata2
Brassica rapa8
Brassica rapa var. chinensis6
Brassica rapa var. glabra81
Brassica rapa var. oleifera2
Eruca76Eruca vesicaria ssp. sativa3
Eutrema5Eutrema sinense1
Isatis15Isatis tinctoria1
Megacarpaea6Megacarpaea delavayi3
Raphanus63Raphanus sativus112
Sinapis2Sinapis alba2
Solms-laubachiaSolms-laubachia pulcherrima1
29Burseraceae93Canarium93Canarium album9
Canarium pimela9
30Buxaceae31Buxus28Buxus harlandii3
Buxus sempervirens2
Sarcococca1Sarcococca hookeriana1
1Sarcococca ruscifolia3
1Sarcococca saligna1
31Calycanthaceae6Calycanthus1 / /
Chimonanthus5Chimonanthus praecox2
32Campanulaceae339Campanula3 / /
Adenophora8Adenophora coelestis1
Adenophora gmelinii1
Adenophora tetraphylla3
Codonopsis13Codonopsis benthamii1
Codonopsis bulleyana2
Codonopsis javanica1
Codonopsis pilosula ssp. tangshen1
Codonopsis tubulosa2
Cyananthus155Cyananthus longiflorus1
Lobelia111Lobelia pyramidalis1
Lobelia sessilifolia1
Platycodon49Platycodon grandiflorus3
33Cannabaceae42Cannabis3Cannabis sativa44
Celtis28Celtis biondii2
Celtis bungeana4
Celtis koraiensis2
Celtis sinensis4
Humulus1Humulus lupulus1
Humulus scandens1
Pteroceltis6Pteroceltis tatarinowii3
Trema4Trema cannabina1
34Cannaceae3Canna3Canna indica1
35Capparaceae19Capparis19Capparis bodinieri1
36Caprifoliaceae292Diervilla1 / /
Knautia / /
Abelia3Abelia chinensis1
Abelia macrotera1
Abelia uniflora1
Dipelta14Dipelta floribunda2
Dipelta yunnanensis10
Dipsacus2Dipsacus asper2
Dipsacus chinensis2
Kolkwitzia12Kolkwitzia amabilis1
Leycesteria42Leycesteria formosa1
Lonicera111Lonicera acuminata2
Lonicera caerulea1
Lonicera chrysantha2
Lonicera chrysantha var. koehneana1
Lonicera confusa2
Lonicera fragrantissima1
Lonicera gynochlamydea6
Lonicera hispida1
Lonicera japonica7
Lonicera ligustrina var. pileata1
Lonicera ligustrina var. yunnanensis1
Lonicera litangensis7
Lonicera maackii1
Lonicera maackii var. erubescens1
Lonicera macrantha2
Lonicera nervosa1
Lonicera periclymenum2
Lonicera praeflorens1
Lonicera quinquelocularis3
Lonicera rupicola4
Lonicera rupicola var. syringantha2
Lonicera ruprechtiana2
Lonicera similis2
Lonicera tangutica1
Lonicera tragophylla6
Lonicera trichosantha3
Lonicera trichosantha var. deflexicalyx2
Lonicera webbiana6
Nardostachys5Nardostachys jatamansi1
Patrinia10Patrinia scabiosifolia1
Patrinia speciosa6
Scabiosa5Scabiosa comosa1
TriosteumTriosteum himalayanum1
Valeriana1Valeriana officinalis1
Weigela86Weigela florida1
Weigela japonica2
37Caricaceae38Carica38Carica papaya3
38Caryophyllaceae38Lychnis2 / /
Arenaria11Arenaria ciliata1
Dianthus8Dianthus brevicaulis1
Dianthus chinensis6
Dianthus superbus1
Silene17Silene aprica3
Silene baccifera2
Silene banksia1
Silene fulgens2
Silene monbeigii1
Silene viscidula1
39Celastraceae98Celastrus15Celastrus angulatus3
Celastrus flagellaris3
Celastrus gemmatus2
Celastrus hindsii1
Celastrus monospermus1
Celastrus orbiculatus3
Celastrus paniculatus2
Celastrus rosthornianus1
Celastrus rosthornianus var. loeseneri1
Celastrus vaniotii1
Euonymus76Euonymus acanthocarpus1
Euonymus alatus4
Euonymus dielsianus1
Euonymus fortunei1
Euonymus frigidus1
Euonymus grandiflorus2
Euonymus hamiltonianus4
Euonymus japonicus1
Euonymus maackii3
Euonymus macropterus3
Euonymus nanoides1
Euonymus sanguineus1
Euonymus tsoi1
Glyptopetalum6Glyptopetalum ilicifolium1
Tripterygium1Tripterygium wilfordii3
40Cephalotaxaceae24Cephalotaxus24Cephalotaxus drupacea1
Cephalotaxus fortunei2
Cephalotaxus sinensis2
41Chloranthaceae1Chloranthus1 / /
42Clethraceae79Clethra79Clethra delavayi2
43Clusiaceae10Garcinia10Garcinia cochinchinensis2
Garcinia multiflora3
Garcinia oblongifolia3
44Colchicaceae1Disporum1Disporum cantoniense1
45Combretaceae20Combretum15Combretum indicum3
Terminalia5Terminalia chebula3
Terminalia franchetii1
46Convolvulaceae152Convolvulus1 / /
Porana / /
Argyreia9Argyreia mollis1
Dinetus22Dinetus racemosus1
Ipomoea118Ipomoea alba1
Ipomoea aquatica6
Ipomoea batatas9
Ipomoea purpurea11
Merremia2Merremia sibirica1
47Coriariaceae8Coriaria8Coriaria napalensis2
Coriaria terminalis1
48Cornaceae12Alangium3Alangium chinense2
Cornus9Cornus alba1
Cornus bretschneideri2
Cornus capitata6
Cornus chinensis1
Cornus controversa3
Cornus kousa1
Cornus macrophylla2
Cornus quinquenervis1
Cornus walteri3
49Crassulaceae46Hylotelephium17Hylotelephium pseudospectabile1
Orostachys1Orostachys fimbriata1
Rhodiola24Rhodiola bupleuroides1
Rhodiola yunnanensis1
Sedum4Sedum leblancae1
50Cucurbitaceae355Melothria1 / /
Actinostemma2Actinostemma tenerum2
Benincasa196Benincasa hispida37
Citrullus4Citrullus lanatus79
Cucumis28Cucumis melo215
Cucumis sativus64
CucurbitaCucurbita maxima16
Cucurbita moschata65
Cucurbita pepo62
Lagenaria99Lagenaria siceraria32
Luffa5Luffa acutangula14
Luffa aegyptiaca1
Momordica1Momordica charantia6
SiraitiaSiraitia grosvenorii1
SolenaSolena heterophylla1
Thladiantha7Thladiantha cordifolia1
Thladiantha dentata1
Thladiantha dubia5
Trichosanthes12Trichosanthes cucumeroides1
Trichosanthes kirilowii2
51Cupressaceae619Chamaecyparis5Chamaecyparis hodginsii2
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana1
Chamaecyparis obtusa1
Chamaecyparis pisifera1
Cryptomeria28Cryptomeria japonica2
Cunninghamia280Cunninghamia lanceolata5
Cupressus155Cupressus funebris5
Glyptostrobus79Glyptostrobus pensilis3
Juniperus9Juniperus chinensis10
Juniperus formosana3
Juniperus indica2
Juniperus recurva2
Juniperus saltuaria1
Juniperus squamata4
Metasequoia1Metasequoia glyptostroboides2
Platycladus49Platycladus orientalis1
Taiwania13Taiwania cryptomerioides1
52Cyperaceae76Scirpus1 / /
Bolboschoenus13Bolboschoenus glaucus2
Carex38Carex duriuscula1
Cyperus2Cyperus malaccensis ssp. monophyllus1
Eleocharis22Eleocharis dulcis6
53Daphniphyllaceae8Daphniphyllum8Daphniphyllum macropodum3
Daphniphyllum oldhamii1
Daphniphyllum paxianum1
54Diapensiaceae3Diapensia1Diapensia purpurea2
Shortia2Shortia sinensis1
Shortia uniflora1
55Dioscoreaceae22Dioscorea22Dioscorea alata2
Dioscorea divaricata1
Dioscorea nipponica1
Dioscorea pentaphylla1
Dioscorea sativa1
56Dipterocarpaceae116Dipterocarpus1Dipterocarpus obtusifolius1
Dipterocarpus turbinatus1
Shorea115Shorea siamensis1
57Ebenaceae242Diospyros242Diospyros cathayensis4
Diospyros japonica2
Diospyros kaki184
Diospyros lotus29
Diospyros tutcheri2
58Elaeagnaceae613Elaeagnus2Elaeagnus angustifolia5
Elaeagnus glabra1
Elaeagnus pungens1
Hippophae611Hippophae rhamnoides ssp. Sinensis1
59Elaeocarpaceae28Elaeocarpus22Elaeocarpus decipiens1
Elaeocarpus sikkimensis1
Sloanea6Sloanea dasycarpa2
Sloanea hemsleyana1
Sloanea sinensis1
60Ephedraceae1Ephedra1Ephedra equisetina1
Ephedra likiangensis1
Ephedra sinica1
61Ericaceae316Andromeda2 / /
Kalmia1 / /
Cassiope16Cassiope fastigiata3
Cassiope lycopodioides1
Cassiope selaginoides3
Diplarche5Diplarche multiflora3
Enkianthus18Enkianthus chinensis1
Enkianthus deflexus5
Gaultheria47Gaultheria fragrantissima1
Gaultheria hookeri1
Gaultheria leucocarpa var. yunnanensis1
Gaultheria trichophylla2
Lyonia9Lyonia doyonensis1
Lyonia ovalifolia2
Phyllodoce113Phyllodoce caerulea1
Phyllodoce nipponica1
Pieris78Pieris formosa1
Rhododendron2Rhododendron adenogynum6
Rhododendron alutaceum2
Rhododendron ambiguum4
Rhododendron aperantum1
Rhododendron arizelum1
Rhododendron augustinii1
Rhododendron auriculatum1
Rhododendron baileyi1
Rhododendron balfourianum3
Rhododendron beesianum4
Rhododendron brachyanthum ssp. hypolepidotum1
Rhododendron callimorphum2
Rhododendron calophytum1
Rhododendron campylocarpum ssp. caloxanthum1
Rhododendron campylogynum1
Rhododendron cephalanthum1
Rhododendron clementinae1
Rhododendron concinnum1
Rhododendron coriaceum2
Rhododendron crinigerum23
Rhododendron cuneatum2
Rhododendron dasypetalum1
Rhododendron dauricum1
Rhododendron davidsonianum3
Rhododendron decorum6
Rhododendron delavayi2
Rhododendron discolor1
Rhododendron edgeworthii7
Rhododendron erastum1
Rhododendron facetum4
Rhododendron farrerae7
Rhododendron fastigiatum2
Rhododendron floccigerum1
Rhododendron forrestii6
Rhododendron fortunei4
Rhododendron fulvum1
Rhododendron fulvum ssp. fulvoides9
Rhododendron galactinum2
Rhododendron glischrum2
Rhododendron griersonianum4
Rhododendron habrotrichum1
Rhododendron haematodes2
Rhododendron haematodes ssp. chaetomallum2
Rhododendron heliolepis6
Rhododendron hemitrichotum2
Rhododendron hippophaeoides4
Rhododendron impeditum2
Rhododendron insigne1
Rhododendron intricatum1
Rhododendron keleticum1
Rhododendron kyawii2
Rhododendron lacteum1
Rhododendron lepidotum4
Rhododendron leptothrium1
Rhododendron longistylum1
Rhododendron lutescens1
Rhododendron macabeanum1
Rhododendron maddenii2
Rhododendron maddenii ssp. crassum3
Rhododendron mariae1
Rhododendron mariae ssp. microphyton3
Rhododendron meddianum1
Rhododendron megacalyx2
Rhododendron mimetes1
Rhododendron molle2
Rhododendron mollicomum3
Rhododendron neriiflorum3
Rhododendron orbiculare1
Rhododendron oreodoxa1
Rhododendron ovatum2
Rhododendron polycladum1
Rhododendron praestans4
Rhododendron praevernum1
Rhododendron primuliflorum2
Rhododendron pronum1
Rhododendron racemosum13
Rhododendron rex ssp. fictolacteum1
Rhododendron roxieanum var. cucullatum2
Rhododendron rubiginosum2
Rhododendron rufescens1
Rhododendron rupicola var. chryseum1
Rhododendron rupicola var. muliense1
Rhododendron russatum2
Rhododendron saluenense4
Rhododendron saluenense var. prostratum3
Rhododendron sargentianum1
Rhododendron searsiae1
Rhododendron setosum1
Rhododendron simiarum1
Rhododendron simsii8
Rhododendron sinogrande2
Rhododendron sinonuttallii1
Rhododendron souliei1
Rhododendron sperabile1
Rhododendron sphaeroblastum6
Rhododendron spinuliferum1
Rhododendron stewartianum6
Rhododendron strigillosum1
Rhododendron sutchuenense1
Rhododendron taliense2
Rhododendron telmateium2
Rhododendron tephropeplum2
Rhododendron traillianum1
Rhododendron trichostomum var. radinum2
Rhododendron uvariifolium4
Rhododendron vernicosum9
Rhododendron virgatum2
Rhododendron wardii4
Rhododendron wasonii1
Rhododendron weyrichii1
Rhododendron williamsianum1
Rhododendron yungningense1
Rhododendron yunnanense11
TripetaleiaTripetaleia paniculata1
Vaccinium25Vaccinium delavayi4
Vaccinium fragile2
Vaccinium moupinense1
Vaccinium uliginosum1
Vaccinium urceolatum1
Vaccinium vitis-idaea2
62Eucommiaceae76Eucommia76Eucommia ulmoides11
63Euphorbiaceae416Aleurites2 / /
CrotonCroton tiglium2
Excoecaria47Excoecaria acerifolia1
Jatropha1Jatropha curcas1
Mallotus229Mallotus apelta1
Mallotus repandus10
Reutealis3Reutealis trisperma1
Ricinus71Ricinus communis10
Triadica1Triadica sebifera12
Vernicia62Vernicia fordii15
Vernicia montana47
64Eupteleaceae1Euptelea1Euptelea pleiosperma7
65Fabaceae5173Caesalpinia2 / /
Cassia / /
Colutea3 / /
Crotalaria1 / /
Desmodium6 / /
Dolichos1 / /
Gueldenstaedtia / /
Hedysarum6 / /
Onobrychis2 / /
Prosopis1 / /
Psoralea3 / /
Pterolobium1 / /
Spatholobus / /
Tephrosia / /
Abrus2Abrus precatorius2
Acacia1Acacia confusa1
Adenanthera8Adenanthera microsperma2
Aeschynomene9Aeschynomene indica2
Albizia14Albizia chinensis1
Albizia julibrissin2
Albizia myriophylla1
Alhagi1Alhagi camelorum1
AmorphaAmorpha fruticosa1
Amphicarpaea20Amphicarpaea edgeworthii4
ApiosApios fortunei1
Arachis14Arachis hypogaea37
Astragalus73Astragalus chinensis6
Astragalus dahuricus3
Astragalus laxmannii2
Astragalus melilotoides22
Astragalus scaberrimus2
Astragalus sinicus8
Astragalus tenuis1
Bauhinia7Bauhinia brachycarpa1
Bauhinia saigonensis2
Bauhinia × blakeana1
Biancaea35Biancaea decapetala1
Cajanus28Cajanus cajan1
Callerya4Callerya dielsiana2
Campylotropis50Campylotropis hirtella1
Campylotropis macrocarpa2
Canavalia5Canavalia ensiformis5
Canavalia gladiata6
Caragana12Caragana aurantiaca1
Caragana boisii3
Caragana franchetiana1
Caragana frutex1
Caragana halodendron2
Caragana manshurica1
Caragana pygmaea1
Caragana sinica1
Cercis4Cercis chinensis3
Cercis racemosa2
Chamaecrista5Chamaecrista mimosoides4
Cheniella4Cheniella glauca1
Cheniella tenuiflora1
Cicer11Cicer arietinum3
Cladrastis199Cladrastis delavayi1
Corethrodendron5Corethrodendron multijugum1
Cullen280Cullen corylifolium1
Dalbergia3Dalbergia dyeriana2
Dalbergia mimosoides1
Delonix9Delonix regia1
Derris12Derris taiwaniana1
Dumasia1Dumasia villosa1
Erythrina76Erythrina arborescens1
Flemingia1Flemingia macrophylla1
Gleditsia3029Gleditsia fera2
Gleditsia microphylla3
Gleditsia sinensis18
Glycine1Glycine max3024
Glycine soja1
Glycine soja var. gracilis3
Glycyrrhiza64Glycyrrhiza echinata1
Glycyrrhiza glabra1
Glycyrrhiza uralensis1
Gymnocladus1Gymnocladus chinensis9
Hylodesmum17Hylodesmum repandum1
Indigofera21Indigofera amblyantha2
Indigofera kirilowii4
Indigofera nigrescens1
Indigofera pendula3
Indigofera reticulata1
Indigofera szechuensis1
Indigofera tinctoria2
Kummerowia12Kummerowia stipulacea8
Kummerowia striata6
LablabLablab purpureus35
Lathyrus114Lathyrus davidii2
Lathyrus sativus1
LensLens culinaris3
LespedezaLespedeza × robusta1
Lespedeza bicolor12
Lespedeza buergeri1
Lespedeza cuneata7
Lespedeza cyrtobotrya1
Lespedeza davidii1
Lespedeza davurica13
Lespedeza dunnii1
Lespedeza floribunda1
Lespedeza juncea4
Lespedeza thunbergii2
Lespedeza thunbergii ssp. formosa3
Lespedeza tomentosa10
Lespedeza virgata2
Lysidice6Lysidice rhodostegia1
MaackiaMaackia amurensis1
Maackia hupehensis1
Maackia tenuifolia7
Medicago120Medicago falcata8
Medicago lupulina6
Medicago polymorpha5
Medicago ruthenica90
Medicago sativa3
Melilotus31Melilotus albus1
Melilotus indicus5
Melilotus officinalis1
Melilotus speciosus10
Melilotus suaveolens4
Mimosa14Mimosa bimucronata13
Mucuna11Mucuna pruriens2
Mucuna pruriens var. utilis1
Mucuna sempervirens2
Ormosia6Ormosia calavensis1
Ormosia henryi2
Ormosia hosiei1
OxytropisOxytropis alpina1
Oxytropis hirta1
Oxytropis myriophylla3
Oxytropis oxyphylla6
Pachyrhizus153Pachyrhizus erosus1
Phanera2Phanera yunnanensis5
Phaseolus172Phaseolus coccineus1
Phaseolus lunatus158
Phaseolus vulgaris1
Phyllodium2Phyllodium pulchellum1
Piptanthus24Piptanthus concolor4
Piptanthus nepalensis20
Pisum23Pisum sativum1
Pueraria10Pueraria montana var. lobata7
Rhynchosia4Rhynchosia volubilis2
Senna8Senna occidentalis2
Sophora18Sophora alopecuroides1
Sophora davidii10
Sophora flavescens2
Sophora tomentosa1
Styphnolobium32Styphnolobium japonicum2
Thermopsis8Thermopsis alpina1
Thermopsis inflata1
Thermopsis lanceolata4
Ticanto79Ticanto vernalis1
Trifolium1Trifolium hybridum1
Trifolium lupinaster8
Trifolium pratense1
Trifolium repens2
Trigonella12Trigonella foenum-graecum4
Trigonella rechingeri1
Vicia153Vicia amoena12
Vicia cracca4
Vicia faba45
Vicia japonica5
Vicia lens7
Vicia pseudo-orobus4
Vicia sativa ssp. nigra1
Vicia unijuga1
Vicia villosa1
Vigna101Vigna angularis112
Vigna mungo6
Vigna radiata473
Vigna umbellata14
Vigna unguiculata152
Vigna unguiculata ssp. cylindrica15
Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis52
Vigna vexillata1
Wisteria3Wisteria sinensis4
Zornia2Zornia gibbosa2
66Fagaceae564Fagus2 / /
Castanea4Castanea crenata3
Castanea henryi26
Castanea mollissima202
Castanea sativa6
Castanea seguinii14
Castanopsis11Castanopsis concinna1
Castanopsis cuspidata1
Castanopsis delavayi2
Castanopsis eyrei2
Castanopsis hystrix3
Castanopsis sclerophylla5
Castanopsis tibetana1
Lithocarpus111Lithocarpus corneus2
Lithocarpus glaber1
Lithocarpus henryi1
Quercus436Quercus acutissima2
Quercus chenii1
Quercus dentata9
Quercus fabri2
Quercus glauca1
Quercus mongolica8
Quercus myrsinifolia1
Quercus serrata1
Quercus variabilis4
67Garryaceae1Aucuba1Aucuba chinensis1
68Gentianaceae118Crawfurdia59Crawfurdia campanulacea1
Gentiana47Gentiana crassicaulis1
Gentiana lawrencei var. farreri1
Gentiana nubigena2
Gentiana phyllocalyx2
Gentiana pterocalyx1
Gentiana straminea1
Gentiana tibetica2
Gentiana tubiflora1
Gentiana walujewii2
Halenia4Halenia elliptica1
Megacodon6Megacodon stylophorus1
Megacodon venosus3
Swertia2Swertia bimaculata1
Swertia diluta2
69Geraniaceae76Erodium76Erodium stephanianum1
70Gesneriaceae49Boea1 / /
Chirita4 / /
Didissandra1 / /
Perantha / /
Corallodiscus41Corallodiscus kingianus3
Corallodiscus lanuginosus5
Oreocharis2Oreocharis forrestii1
Oreocharis muscicola2
71Ginkgoaceae3029Ginkgo3029Ginkgo biloba3
72Grossulariaceae19Ribes19Ribes alpestre var. giganteum2
Ribes burejense1
Ribes diacantha3
Ribes fasciculatum1
Ribes glaciale5
Ribes henryi1
Ribes himalense1
Ribes laurifolium2
Ribes longeracemosum4
Ribes luridum1
Ribes mandshuricum4
Ribes maximowiczii1
Ribes moupinense2
Ribes stenocarpum1
Ribes ussuriense1
Ribes vilmorinii1
73Hamamelidaceae97Rhodoleia1 / /
Corylopsis36Corylopsis platypetala1
Corylopsis willmottiae3
Exbucklandia47Exbucklandia populnea1
Fortunearia1Fortunearia sinensis1
Hamamelis2Hamamelis mollis3
LoropetalumLoropetalum chinense1
Sycopsis10Sycopsis sinensis2
74Helwingiaceae2Helwingia2Helwingia chinensis2
75Hydrangeaceae183Dichroa1 / /
Decumaria26Decumaria sinensis1
Deutzia1Deutzia compacta1
Deutzia discolor2
Deutzia globosa1
Deutzia grandiflora1
Deutzia hypoglauca1
Deutzia longifolia10
Deutzia mollis3
Deutzia monbeigii2
Deutzia ningpoensis1
Deutzia parviflora2
Deutzia pilosa1
Deutzia purpurascens1
Deutzia scabra1
Deutzia schneideriana4
Deutzia setchuenensis2
Deutzia setchuenensis var. corymbiflora2
Deutzia vilmorinae3
Hydrangea31Hydrangea anomala1
Hydrangea bretschneideri5
Hydrangea davidii4
Hydrangea heteromalla1
Hydrangea longipes1
Hydrangea robusta1
Hydrangea strigosa1
Hydrangea xanthoneura3
Philadelphus39Philadelphus brachybotrys1
Philadelphus caudatus8
Philadelphus delavayi1
Philadelphus henryi2
Philadelphus incanus1
Philadelphus kansuensis1
Philadelphus pekinensis2
Philadelphus purpurascens2
Philadelphus schrenkii4
Philadelphus sericanthus4
Philadelphus subcanus3
Philadelphus subcanus var. magdalenae1
Philadelphus tenuifolius1
Pileostegia78Pileostegia viburnoides1
Schizophragma7Schizophragma integrifolium3
76Hypericaceae10Hypericum10Hypericum ascyron2
Hypericum hookerianum3
Hypericum kouytchense1
Hypericum patulum3
Hypericum patulum var. henryi1
77Icacinaceae32Mappia1 / /
Hosiea31Hosiea sinensis1
78Iridaceae119Belamcanda1Belamcanda chinensis1
Iris118Iris bulleyana6
Iris chrysographes3
Iris collettii1
Iris delavayi4
Iris dichotoma11
Iris ensata9
Iris forrestii4
Iris ruthenica1
Iris sanguinea1
Iris ventricosa9
Iris wilsonii5
79Iteaceae15Itea15Itea yunnanensis1
80Juglandaceae44Carya16Carya cathayensis4
Cyclocarya1Cyclocarya paliurus1
Engelhardia8Engelhardia roxburghiana1
Juglans11Juglans mandshurica21
Juglans regia71
Platycarya5Platycarya strobilacea3
Pterocarya3Pterocarya macroptera var. delavayi1
Pterocarya stenoptera4
81Juncaceae2Juncus2 / /
82Lamiaceae492Ajuga3 / /
Notochaete1 / /
Plectranthus2 / /
Pogostemon1 / /
Satureja4 / /
Teucrium1 / /
AgastacheAgastache rugosa2
Amethystea27Amethystea caerulea1
Anisomeles2Anisomeles indica1
Callicarpa23Callicarpa dichotoma1
Callicarpa giraldii6
Callicarpa rubella3
Caryopteris16Caryopteris incana1
Caryopteris tangutica2
Clerodendrum79Clerodendrum bungei1
Clerodendrum cyrtophyllum2
Clerodendrum fragrans2
Clerodendrum trichotomum1
Colquhounia15Colquhounia coccinea1
Dracocephalum1Dracocephalum bullatum2
Dracocephalum isabellae3
Elsholtzia93Elsholtzia ciliata1
Elsholtzia densa1
Elsholtzia stauntonii2
Eriophyton11Eriophyton wallichii2
Isodon15Isodon amethystoides1
Isodon sculponeatus1
Leonurus114Leonurus sibiricus1
Ocimum1Ocimum basilicum1
Perilla14Perilla frutescens1
Perilla frutescens var. crispa2
Phlomoides2Phlomoides rotata1
Premna1Premna microphylla1
PrunellaPrunella vulgaris1
Salvia57Salvia bulleyana1
Salvia evansiana1
Salvia hians2
Scutellaria1Scutellaria baicalensis2
Stachys2Stachys sieboldii6
Vitex6Vitex negundo1
Vitex negundo var. heterophylla3
Vitex quinata1
Vitex trifolia1
83Lardizabalaceae639Akebia2Akebia trifoliata2
Decaisnea26Decaisnea insignis9
Holboellia611Holboellia angustifolia1
Holboellia coriacea2
84Lauraceae211Benzoin18 / /
Phoebe1 / /
Actinodaphne3Actinodaphne reticulata1
Camphora50Camphora officinarum5
Cinnamomum6Cinnamomum cassia1
Cinnamomum japonicum1
Iteadaphne1Iteadaphne caudata1
Lindera2Lindera aggregata1
Lindera communis2
Lindera glauca2
Lindera megaphylla1
Lindera obtusiloba1
Lindera reflexa1
Lindera rubronervia2
Lindera umbellata2
Litsea111Litsea populifolia6
Machilus4Machilus nanmu1
Machilus robusta3
Neolitsea10Neolitsea confertifolia10
Sassafras5Sassafras tzumu1
85Liliaceae285Clintonia4 / /
Nomocharis23 / /
Cardiocrinum38Cardiocrinum cathayanum1
Cardiocrinum giganteum11
Lilium214Lilium × shimenianum2
Lilium apertum2
Lilium bakerianum9
Lilium brownii9
Lilium callosum3
Lilium concolor5
Lilium concolor var. pulchellum2
Lilium davidii9
Lilium davidii var. willmottiae3
Lilium duchartrei8
Lilium hansonii1
Lilium henrici1
Lilium henryi1
Lilium lancifolium2
Lilium lankongense8
Lilium leucanthum1
Lilium leucanthum var. centifolium1
Lilium lijiangense1
Lilium lophophorum10
Lilium martagon1
Lilium medeoloides1
Lilium meleagrinum1
Lilium nanum1
Lilium nanum var. flavidum1
Lilium nepalense4
Lilium papilliferum2
Lilium pardanthinum14
Lilium pensylvanicum8
Lilium philippinense1
Lilium primulinum var. ochraceum4
Lilium pumilum2
Lilium regale1
Lilium saluenense2
Lilium sargentiae3
Lilium speciosum1
Lilium stewartianum5
Lilium taliense13
Lilium tigrinum1
Lilium tsingtauense1
Lilium × shimenianum2
Notholirion1Notholirion bulbuliferum1
Tricyrtis5Tricyrtis pilosa1
86Linaceae10Linum10Linum perenne12
Linum usitatissimum5
87Lythraceae9Lythrum1 / /
Lagerstroemia4Lagerstroemia indica5
Punica3Punica granatum9
Trapa1Trapa natans4
88Magnoliaceae50Magnolia8 / /
Houpoea31Houpoea officinalis3
Houpoea rostrata1
Lirianthe2Lirianthe delavayi5
Liriodendron1Liriodendron chinense1
ManglietiaManglietia fordiana1
Manglietia forrestii2
Manglietia insignis1
MicheliaMichelia champaca1
Oyama2Oyama wilsonii4
Yulania6Yulania campbellii1
Yulania dawsoniana1
Yulania denudata2
Yulania sargentiana2
89Malvaceae161Reevesia1 / /
Abelmoschus6Abelmoschus manihot6
Abutilon10Abutilon theophrasti10
Alcea9Alcea rosea9
Bombax13Bombax ceiba1
Corchorus3Corchorus capsularis8
Firmiana5Firmiana colorata1
Firmiana simplex3
Gossypium9Gossypium arboreum25
Gossypium arboreum var. obtusifolium1
Gossypium herbaceum2
Gossypium hirsutum2
Grewia64Grewia biloba3
Grewia biloba var. parviflora2
Hibiscus30Hibiscus cannabinus18
Hibiscus mutabilis1
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis2
Hibiscus sabdariffa2
Hibiscus syriacus4
Malva3Malva verticillata3
Sterculia2Sterculia foetida1
Talipariti5Talipariti tiliaceum1
Tilia1Tilia amurensis4
Tilia chinensis1
Tilia chinensis var. intonsa1
Tilia mandshurica4
Tilia mongolica1
Tilia oliveri2
Tilia paucicostata1
UrenaUrena lobata1
90Marantaceae80Maranta80Maranta arundinacea1
91Melanthiaceae3Paris1 / /
Trillium / /
Veratrum2Veratrum nigrum2
92Melastomataceae288Bredia261Bredia fordii1
Fordiophyton11Fordiophyton faberi1
Melastoma15Melastoma dodecandrum1
Melastoma malabathricum1
Melastoma sanguineum4
Osbeckia1Osbeckia capitata1
93Meliaceae44Cedrela1 / /
Dysoxylum1 / /
Melia3 / /
Cipadessa6Cipadessa baccifera1
Sandoricum13Sandoricum koetjape1
Toona20Toona sinensis3
94Menispermaceae3Cocculus3 / /
MenispermumMenispermum dauricum1
SinomeniumSinomenium acutum1
95Moraceae65Cudrania2 / /
Papyrius1 / /
Artocarpus3Artocarpus hypargyreus1
Ficus31Ficus carica2
Ficus concinna2
Ficus erecta1
Ficus heteromorpha1
Ficus pandurata2
Ficus pumila2
Ficus repens1
Ficus subincisa1
Maclura4Maclura cochinchinensis4
Maclura tricuspidata1
Morus22Morus alba1
Morus alba var. multicaulis4
Morus australis1
Morus nigra4
Streblus2Streblus asper1
96Musaceae5Musa5Musa coccinea2
Musa × paradisiaca1
97Myricaceae32Morella22Morella rubra12
Myrica10Myrica rubra1
98Myrtaceae1081Eugenia3 / /
CallistemonCallistemon citrinus1
Psidium1Psidium guajava2
Rhodomyrtus1077Rhodomyrtus tomentosa4
99Nelumbonaceae1Nelumbo1Nelumbo nucifera1
100Nitrariaceae5Nitraria5Nitraria retusa4
Nitraria schoberi5
101Nyctaginaceae8Mirabilis7Mirabilis jalapa4
Oxybaphus1Oxybaphus himalaicus var. chinensis1
102Nymphaeaceae5Euryale5Euryale ferox1
103Nyssaceae60Camptotheca50Camptotheca acuminata1
Davidia9Davidia involucrata23
Davidia involucrata var. vilmoriniana3
Nyssa1Nyssa sinensis1
104Oleaceae382Olea3 / /
Chionanthus2Chionanthus retusus3
Chrysojasminum9Chrysojasminum floridum1
Chrysojasminum humile2
Chrysojasminum subhumile3
Forsythia11Forsythia suspensa1
Fraxinus28Fraxinus bungeana3
Fraxinus chinensis4
Fraxinus griffithii1
Fraxinus longicuspis1
Fraxinus mandshurica2
Fraxinus sieboldiana1
Fraxinus sogdiana3
Jasminum37Jasminum beesianum1
Jasminum floridum2
Jasminum mesnyi1
Jasminum nudiflorum3
Jasminum sinense1
Jasminum urophyllum1
Ligustrum214Ligustrum compactum6
Ligustrum compactum var. velutinum1
Ligustrum delavayanum9
Ligustrum henryi1
Ligustrum leucanthum1
Ligustrum lucidum2
Ligustrum obtusifolium ssp. suave1
Ligustrum quihoui3
Ligustrum sempervirens3
Osmanthus7Osmanthus armatus3
Osmanthus delavayi1
Osmanthus serrulatus1
Syringa71Syringa komarowii1
Syringa komarowii ssp. reflexa3
Syringa meyeri3
Syringa oblata2
Syringa persica4
Syringa pinetorum1
Syringa pinnatifolia5
Syringa pubescens ssp. patula1
Syringa reticulata ssp. amurensis1
Syringa reticulata ssp. pekinensis8
Syringa sweginzowii1
Syringa tomentella6
Syringa villosa9
Syringa × chinensis7
Syringa yunnanensis7
105Onagraceae10Epilobium4 / /
Circaea6Circaea cordata1
106Orchidaceae20Neottia20Neottia wardii1
107Orobanchaceae15Pedicularis4Pedicularis integrifolia1
Pedicularis rhodotricha2
Rehmannia10Rehmannia glutinosa2
Rehmannia piasezkii1
Striga1Striga masuria1
108Oxalidaceae4Oxalis1 / /
Averrhoa3Averrhoa carambola3
109Paeoniaceae153Paeonia153Paeonia brownii1
Paeonia delavayi14
Paeonia lactiflora7
Paeonia obovata3
Paeonia veitchii4
Paeonia × suffruticosa1
110Pandanaceae1Pandanus1Pandanus tectorius48
111Papaveraceae131Capnoides1 / /
Dicranostigma3 / /
Glaucium1 / /
Corydalis36Corydalis cheilanthifolia2
Corydalis cornuta2
Corydalis tomentella1
Eomecon6Eomecon chionantha1
Meconopsis80Meconopsis concinna3
Meconopsis delavayi1
Meconopsis forrestii1
Meconopsis henrici10
Meconopsis horridula4
Meconopsis impedita21
Meconopsis integrifolia3
Meconopsis lancifolia3
Meconopsis pseudointegrifolia1
Meconopsis punicea1
Meconopsis racemosa3
Meconopsis rudis2
Meconopsis speciosa2
Meconopsis venusta7
Oreomecon2Oreomecon nudicaulis1
Papaver3Papaver somniferum1
112Parnassiaceae127Parnassia127Parnassia delavayi1
Parnassia palustris1
113Passifloraceae4Passiflora1Passiflora edulis1
114Paulowniaceae3Paulownia3Paulownia fortunei2
Paulownia tomentosa1
115Pedaliaceae2Sesamum2Sesamum indicum124
116Pentaphylacaceae4Adinandra2Adinandra bockiana1
Eurya1Eurya acuminata1
Eurya chinensis3
Eurya japonica2
Ternstroemia3Ternstroemia gymnanthera1
117Phyllanthaceae305Antidesma1Antidesma japonicum1
Bischofia35Bischofia javanica1
Bridelia261Bridelia tomentosa1
Glochidion7Glochidion puberum1
Sauropus1Sauropus bacciformis1
118Phytolaccaceae27Phytolacca27Phytolacca acinosa1
Phytolacca polyandra1
119Pinaceae200Abies47Abies chensiensis4
Abies delavayi5
Abies ernestii1
Abies firma1
Abies forrestii3
Abies georgei2
ABies holophylla1
Abies mariesii1
Abies recurvata1
Keteleeria14Keteleeria davidiana7
Keteleeria evelyniana1
Larix2Larix gmelinii4
Larix gmelinii var. principis-rupprechtii1
Larix kaempferi1
Larix potaninii2
NothotsugaNothotsuga longibracteata2
Picea27Picea jezoensis4
Picea likiangensis1
Picea meyeri1
Picea morrisonicola1
Picea purpurea1
Picea wilsonii1
Pinus78Pinus armandi26
Pinus bungeana2
Pinus densiflora7
Pinus koraiensis8
Pinus massoniana1
Pinus sylvestris2
Pinus tabuliformis1
Pinus thunbergii6
Pinus yunnanensis4
Pseudolarix20Pseudolarix amabilis3
Pseudotsuga1Pseudotsuga wilsoniana1
Tsuga11Tsuga chinensis3
Tsuga dumosa5
120Piperaceae1Peperomia1 / /
121Pittosporaceae23Pittosporum23Pittosporum daphniphylloides6
Pittosporum glabratum3
Pittosporum heterophyllum1
Pittosporum napaulense1
Pittosporum tobira3
122Plantaginaceae82Plantago2 / /
Pseudolysimachion76Pseudolysimachion rotundum ssp. subintegrum1
Veronica3Veronica ciliata1
Veronicastrum5Veronicastrum axillare1
Veronicastrum caulopterum1
Veronicastrum sibiricum2
Veronicastrum tubiflorum1
123Plumbaginaceae25Limonium1 / /
Ceratostigma24Ceratostigma plumbaginoides1
Ceratostigma willmottianum2
124Poaceae5825Andropogon2 / /
Arundinaria4 / /
Indosasa1 / /
Leptochloa / /
Paspalum / /
AchnatherumAchnatherum sibiricum7
Acidosasa3Acidosasa nanunica1
Acidosasa venusta2
Agropyron72Agropyron acutum1
Agropyron cristatum35
Agropyron intermedium1
Agropyron sibiricum24
Agrostis6Agrostis clavata1
Agrostis perennans1
Agrostis vinealis1
Alopecurus12Alopecurus longearistatus1
Anthoxanthum3Anthoxanthum glabrum2
Arctopoa6Arctopoa subfastigiata2
Arthraxon3Arthraxon hispidus2
Arthraxon typicus1
Arundinella5Arundinella hirta5
Avena85Avena fatua3
Avena nuda17
Avena sativa64
Bambusa98Bambusa albolineata2
Bambusa basihirsuta1
Bambusa beecheyana6
Bambusa beecheyana var. pubescens1
Bambusa blumeana1
Bambusa boniopsis2
Bambusa chungii3
Bambusa dissimulator3
Bambusa dolichoclada1
Bambusa eutuldoides3
Bambusa flexuosa3
Bambusa gibba3
Bambusa lapidea4
Bambusa malingensis1
Bambusa multiplex11
Bambusa multiplex var. riviereorum1
Bambusa mutabilis1
Bambusa odashimae2
Bambusa pachinensis2
Bambusa pervariabilis8
Bambusa remotiflora2
Bambusa rutila2
Bambusa sinospinosa2
Bambusa textilis8
Bambusa textilis var. glabra1
Bambusa textilis var. gracilis4
Bambusa tulda1
Bambusa tuldoides11
Bambusa ventricosa4
Bambusa vulgaris1
Bambusa vulgaris1
Beckmannia3Beckmannia syzigachne4
Bothriochloa2Bothriochloa bladhii1
Bothriochloa ischaemum5
BrachiariaBrachiaria eruciformis1
Brachypodium6Brachypodium sylvaticum1
Bromus1Bromus inermis1
Bromus ramosus1
Calamagrostis6Calamagrostis epigejos19
Calamagrostis pseudophragmites2
Cenchrus12Cenchrus americanus3
CephalostachyumCephalostachyum pergracile1
Chimonobambusa2Chimonobambusa quadrangularis3
ChlorisChloris castilloniana1
Chloris virgata7
Cleistogenes199Cleistogenes serotina1
Coix15Coix lacryma-jobi9
Cymbopogon7Cymbopogon citratus1
Cynodon1Cynodon dactylon2
Danthonia2Danthonia cachemyriana1
Dendrocalamus42Dendrocalamus farinosus1
Dendrocalamus hamiltonii1
Dendrocalamus latiflorus7
Dendrocalamus minor1
Deyeuxia55Deyeuxia purpurea3
Deyeuxia pyramidalis1
Diarrhena2Diarrhena japonica1
Digitaria7Digitaria henryi1
Digitaria ischaemum3
Digitaria sanguinalis1
Echinochloa14Echinochloa crus-galli14
Echinochloa frumentacea1
Eleusine22Eleusine coracana4
Elymus93Elymus caninus2
Elymus ciliaris5
Elymus ciliaris var. amurensis1
Elymus dahuricus7
Elymus excelsus1
Elymus pseudocaninus39
Elymus sibiricus6
Elytrigia8Elytrigia gmelinii1
Elytrigia repens2
Eragrostis28Eragrostis cilianensis2
Eragrostis pilosa5
Eremochloa5Eremochloa ophiuroides5
Eriochloa1Eriochloa villosa5
Fargesia31Fargesia nitida3
FestucaFestuca extremiorientalis1
Festuca ovina3
Festuca rubra2
Gigantochloa4Gigantochloa levis1
Glyceria7Glyceria alnasteretum2
Helictochloa13Helictochloa hookeri1
Hemarthria1Hemarthria compressa2
Hordeum4Hordeum brevisubulatum6
Hordeum distichon12
Hordeum roshevitzii1
Hordeum vulgare556
Hordeum vulgare var. coeleste18
Imperata23Imperata cylindrica2
Indocalamus4Indocalamus herklotsii2
Indocalamus latifolius1
Indocalamus longiauritus2
Indocalamus sinicus2
Indocalamus tessellatus2
Indocalamus wilsoni1
Koeleria35Koeleria macrantha9
Leymus42Leymus angustus3
Leymus chinensis2
Leymus ramosus2
Leymus secalinus3
Lolium111Lolium perenne7
Melica31Melica scabrosa1
Melica turczaninowiana9
Melica virgata2
Miscanthus7Miscanthus sacchariflorus1
Miscanthus sinensis6
Muhlenbergia4Muhlenbergia japonica1
Neotrinia1Neotrinia splendens1
Oligostachyum9Oligostachyum gracilipes1
Oryza1523Oryza sativa1
Panicum3Panicum miliaceum10
Pennisetum4Pennisetum alopecuroides2
Pennisetum flaccidum13
Phaenosperma1Phaenosperma globosum1
Phalaris7Phalaris arundinacea2
Phleum3Phleum alpinum2
Phleum pratense2
Phragmites2Phragmites australis1
Phyllostachys113Phyllostachys angusta2
Phyllostachys arcana1
Phyllostachys atrovaginata2
Phyllostachys aurea2
Phyllostachys aureosulcata1
Phyllostachys bissetii1
Phyllostachys dulcis4
Phyllostachys edulis2
Phyllostachys elegans3
Phyllostachys flexuosa1
Phyllostachys glabrata3
Phyllostachys glauca14
Phyllostachys heteroclada3
Phyllostachys mannii3
Phyllostachys meyeri17
Phyllostachys nidularia1
Phyllostachys nidularia f. farcta5
Phyllostachys nigra6
Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis3
Phyllostachys propinqua12
Phyllostachys reticulata2
Phyllostachys rubromarginata4
Phyllostachys sulphurea2
Phyllostachys sulphurea var. viridis1
Phyllostachys varioauriculata1
Phyllostachys viridiglaucescens2
Phyllostachys vivax1
Pleioblastus49Pleioblastus amarus2
Pleioblastus simonii1
PoaPoa acroleuca2
Poa chaixii3
Poa compressa2
Poa nemoralis2
Poa palustris8
Poa pratensis18
Poa sphondylodes1
Poa trivialis1
Poa ussuriensis1
Pseudosasa3Pseudosasa amabilis2
Pseudosasa cantorii14
Pseudosasa hindsii3
Pseudosasa japonica1
Pseudosclerochloa20Pseudosclerochloa kengiana1
PseudostachyumPseudostachyum polymorphum1
Puccinellia3Puccinellia distans9
Puccinellia tenuiflora1
Saccharum184Saccharum arundinaceum2
Saccharum officinarum12
Saccharum spontaneum1
Sasa5Sasa longiligulata1
Schizostachyum7Schizostachyum dumetorum3
Schizostachyum funghomii2
Schizostachyum pseudolima2
Secale2Secale cereale4
Semiarundinaria4Semiarundinaria fastuosa1
Sesleria124Sesleria argentea1
Setaria1Setaria italica108
Setaria viridis7
Sinobambusa15Sinobambusa humilis4
Sinobambusa intermedia1
Sinobambusa rubroligula1
Sinobambusa tootsik8
Sorghum48Sorghum bicolor265
Spodiopogon7Spodiopogon sibiricus6
SporobolusSporobolus elongatus1
Stipa13Stipa baicalensis6
Stipa capillata1
Themeda8Themeda triandra1
Tripogon20Tripogon chinensis1
Triticum2321Triticum aestivum2296
Triticum dicoccum1
Triticum turgidum17
Triticum turgidum ssp. durum17
Yushania1Yushania brevipaniculata1
Zea152Zea mays152
Zizania8Zizania latifolia8
Zoysia14Zoysia japonica7
Zoysia matrella6
125Podocarpaceae3Nageia1Nageia nagi1
Podocarpus2Podocarpus chinensis1
Podocarpus macrophyllus1
126Polygalaceae7Polygala7Polygala arillata1
Polygala wattersii1
127Polygonaceae365Calligonum2 / /
Bistorta35Bistorta emodi1
Bistorta griffithii1
Bistorta macrophylla1
Fagopyrum9Fagopyrum esculentum15
Fagopyrum lineare25
Fagopyrum tataricum5
Fallopia31Fallopia aubertii2
Koenigia33Koenigia divaricata1
Koenigia forrestii2
Koenigia lichiangensis1
Oxyria6Oxyria digyna1
Persicaria10Persicaria orientalis3
Persicaria tinctoria1
Polygonum53Polygonum tinctorium5
Rheum2Rheum acuminatum1
Rheum alexandrae4
Rheum altaicum1
Rheum delavayi1
Rheum nobile1
Rheum officinale2
Rheum rhabarbarum3
Rumex184Rumex yungningensis1
128Primulaceae311Embelia1 / /
Androsace2Androsace delavayi1
Androsace spinulifera6
Androsace umbellata1
Ardisia6Ardisia crenata1
Ardisia crispa3
Lysimachia2Lysimachia barystachys3
Maesa4Maesa montana1
Myrsine1Myrsine semiserrata9
Omphalogramma9Omphalogramma delavayi2
Omphalogramma souliei6
Omphalogramma vinciflorum3
Primula286Primula aemula1
Primula agleniana3
Primula amethystina2
Primula amethystina ssp. Brevifolia3
Primula anisodora1
Primula aurantiaca2
Primula bathangensis9
Primula beesiana2
Primula bella1
Primula blattariformis5
Primula blinii2
Primula boreiocalliantha2
Primula bracteata4
Primula bulleyana8
Primula calliantha2
Primula calliantha ssp. bryophila1
Primula capitata ssp. sphaerocephala1
Primula cernua14
Primula chionantha1
Primula chrysochlora4
Primula chungensis1
Primula cockburniana1
Primula conspersa1
Primula deflexa1
Primula denticulata ssp. sinodenticulata2
Primula diantha6
Primula dryadifolia1
Primula dryadifolia ssp. chlorodryas1
Primula euosma1
Primula farreriana1
Primula fistulosa7
Primula forrestii1
Primula gemmifera var. amoena1
Primula giraldiana1
Primula gracilenta2
Primula helodoxa4
Primula malvacea2
Primula melanops2
Primula minor1
Primula mollis6
Primula munroi ssp. yargongensis9
Primula muscarioides1
Primula nutans1
Primula pauliana4
Primula pinnatifida12
Primula poissonii10
Primula polyneura5
Primula pulchella3
Primula rockii12
Primula secundiflora1
Primula septemloba4
Primula serratifolia8
Primula sikkimensis1
Primula sinolisteri1
Primula sinomollis3
Primula sinoplantaginea3
Primula sonchifolia2
Primula souliei3
Primula szechuanica1
Primula valentiniana8
Primula vialii1
Primula watsonii2
Primula wilsonii1
Primula yunnanensis5
129Ranunculaceae2588Cimicifuga5 / /
Aconitum33Aconitum alboviolaceum1
Aconitum forrestii1
Aconitum kusnezoffii4
Aconitum lycoctonum1
Aconitum nagarum var. acaule1
Aconitum scaposum1
Aconitum volubile1
Actaea6Actaea cimicifuga1
Actaea dahurica2
Actaea spicata7
Anemoclema1Anemoclema glaucifolium1
AnemoneAnemone demissa5
Anemone narcissiflora2
Anemone rupicola1
Anemone vitifolia2
Aquilegia12Aquilegia oxysepala9
Aquilegia vulgaris1
Clematis199Clematis aethusifolia1
Clematis aethusifolia var. latisecta1
Clematis akebioides1
Clematis apiifolia var. argentilucida3
Clematis armandi1
Clematis brevicaudata5
Clematis chrysocoma4
Clematis delavayi4
Clematis grandidentata1
Clematis Montana2
Clematis orientalis7
Clematis potaninii2
Clematis ranunculoides2
Clematis rehderiana1
Clematis tangutica2
Clematis terniflora var. mandshurica3
Clematis × vedrariensis3
Delphinium1Delphinium brunonianum1
Delphinium bulleyanum2
Delphinium delavayi3
Delphinium likiangense5
Delphinium pylzowii3
Delphinium tatsienense3
Delphinium yunnanense1
Paraquilegia2Paraquilegia anemonoides1
Pulsatilla7Pulsatilla cernua1
Pulsatilla chinensis1
Pulsatilla dahurica1
Thalictrum1Thalictrum delavayi2
Trollius2321Trollius chinensis1
Trollius ledebourii1
Trollius pumilus2
Trollius yunnanensis2
130Rhamnaceae410Berchemia196Berchemia floribunda1
Berchemia lineata1
Berchemia polyphylla1
Frangula28Frangula crenata1
Hovenia31Hovenia dulcis6
Paliurus50Paliurus spina-christi14
Rhamnella3Rhamnella franguloides1
Rhamnus1Rhamnus davurica9
Rhamnus parvifolia4
Rhamnus rugulosa var. chekiangensis1
Rhamnus utilis3
Sageretia20Sageretia pycnophylla1
Ziziphus81Ziziphus jujuba75
Ziziphus lotus1
Argentina stenophylla5
ChaenomelesChaenomeles cathayensis5
Chaenomeles japonica7
Chaenomeles sinensis1
Chaenomeles speciosa2
Coluria15Coluria longifolia2
Cotoneaster43Cotoneaster acutifolius2
Cotoneaster acutifolius var. villosulus2
Cotoneaster adpressus3
Cotoneaster ambiguus1
Cotoneaster apiculatus2
Cotoneaster bullatus4
Cotoneaster bullatus var. floribundus1
Cotoneaster buxifolius1
Cotoneaster dammeri3
Cotoneaster dielsianus7
Cotoneaster divaricatus6
Cotoneaster foveolatus2
Cotoneaster franchetii7
Cotoneaster glabratus1
Cotoneaster glaucophyllus3
Cotoneaster gracilis1
Cotoneaster harrovianus3
Cotoneaster hebephyllus1
Cotoneaster horizontalis7
Cotoneaster horizontalis var. perpusillus2
Cotoneaster integerrimus1
Cotoneaster moupinensis1
Cotoneaster multiflorus5
Cotoneaster nitens2
Cotoneaster nitidus1
Cotoneaster obscurus2
Cotoneaster pannosus6
Cotoneaster rhytidophyllus1
Cotoneaster rosiflorus1
Cotoneaster rubens1
Cotoneaster salicifolius13
Cotoneaster salicifolius var. henryanus1
Cotoneaster salicifolius var. rugosus4
Cotoneaster silvestrii2
Cotoneaster soongoricus1
Cotoneaster tenuipes1
Cotoneaster zabelii2
Crataegus177Crataegus chlorosarca1
Crataegus cuneata1
Crataegus oresbia1
Crataegus pinnatifida32
Crataegus sanguinea2
Crataegus scabrifolia2
Cydonia5Cydonia oblonga1
Dasiphora12Dasiphora fruticosa14
Dichotomanthes7Dichotomanthes tristaniicarpa2
Docynia1Docynia delavayi3
Docynia indica1
Duchesnea15Duchesnea indica1
Eriobotrya3Eriobotrya japonica6
Exochorda47Exochorda giraldii2
Exochorda racemosa2
Exochorda racemosa ssp. racemosa1
Fragaria28Fragaria moschata1
Fragaria nilgerrensis2
Fragaria orientalis1
FragariastrumFragariastrum articulatum1
Fragariastrum eriocarpum3
Geum1Geum aleppicum1
Malus229Malus baccata2
Malus bhutanica1
Malus doumeri5
Malus halliana4
Malus hupehensis2
Malus kansuensis3
Malus prunifolia6
Malus pumila3
Malus spectabilis17
Malus sylvestris1
Malus toringo1
Malus transitoria7
Malus yunnanensis1
Neillia5Neillia ribesioides1
Neillia sinensis2
Neillia thibetica1
Osteomeles2Osteomeles schwerinae1
Padus153Padus brachypoda2
Photinia17Photinia beauverdiana2
Photinia bodinieri1
Photinia glabra1
Photinia glomerata1
Photinia integrifolia var. flavidiflora1
Photinia prionophylla3
Photinia villosa1
Potentilla1Potentilla coriandrifolia2
Potentilla eriocarpa var. tsarongensis1
Potentilla glabra var. veitchii1
Potentilla griffithii1
Potentilla kryloviana2
Potentilla saundersiana1
Prinsepia13Prinsepia sinensis3
Prinsepia uniflora3
Prinsepia utilis1
Prunus805Prunus armeniaca151
Prunus avium1
Prunus canescens2
Prunus cerasoides7
Prunus cerasus3
Prunus clarofolia1
Prunus conradinae3
Prunus davidiana20
Prunus davidiana var. potaninii4
Prunus domestica12
Prunus dulcis2
Prunus glandulosa9
Prunus humilis1
Prunus insititia1
Prunus japonica9
Prunus kansuensis2
Prunus maackii1
Prunus mandshurica5
Prunus maximowiczii10
Prunus mume1
Prunus mume var. bungo46
Prunus obtusata1
Prunus padus1
Prunus persica6
Prunus persica246
Prunus salicina3
Prunus serrula21
Prunus setulosa1
Prunus sibirica1
Prunus simonii6
Prunus stipulacea4
prunus tangutica1
Prunus tomentosa7
Prunus undulata22
Prunus ussuriensis1
Prunus wilsonii2
Prunus × subhirtella2
PseudocydoniaPseudocydonia sinensis76
Pyracantha9Pyracantha angustifolia1
Pyracantha crenulata9
Pyracantha fortuneana2
Pyracantha loureiroi6
Pyrus3Pyrus betulifolia11
Pyrus bretschneideri4
Pyrus calleryana29
Pyrus communis6
Pyrus lindleyi3
Pyrus pashia2
Pyrus phaeocarpa8
Pyrus pyrifolia13
Pyrus serrulata8
Pyrus ussuriensis33
Rhaphiolepis41Rhaphiolepis indica2
Rosa71Rosa acicularis1
Rosa banksiae2
Rosa banksiae var. normalis1
Rosa banksiopsis3
Rosa bella2
Rosa berberifolia1
Rosa brunonii2
Rosa caudata3
Rosa chinensis1
Rosa corymbulosa2
Rosa cymosa2
Rosa davidii8
Rosa davurica4
Rosa filipes3
Rosa graciliflora3
Rosa helenae2
Rosa hugonis1
Rosa laevigata2
Rosa longicuspis4
Rosa macrophylla2
Rosa maximowicziana1
Rosa moyesii5
Rosa multibracteata2
Rosa multiflora2
Rosa multiflora var. cathayensis4
Rosa murielae1
Rosa odorata1
Rosa omeiensis9
Rosa omeiensis f. pteracantha1
Rosa persetosa1
Rosa praelucens1
Rosa prattii3
Rosa roxburghii3
131Rosaceae1875Amelanchier1 / /
Amygdalus12 / /
Aronia1 / /
Filipendula / /
Argentina11Argentina lineata5
Argentina microphylla1
Argentina stenophylla5
ChaenomelesChaenomeles cathayensis5
Chaenomeles japonica7
Chaenomeles sinensis1
Chaenomeles speciosa2
Coluria15Coluria longifolia2
Cotoneaster43Cotoneaster acutifolius2
Cotoneaster acutifolius var. villosulus2
Cotoneaster adpressus3
Cotoneaster ambiguus1
Cotoneaster apiculatus2
Cotoneaster bullatus4
Cotoneaster bullatus var. floribundus1
Cotoneaster buxifolius1
Cotoneaster dammeri3
Cotoneaster dielsianus7
Cotoneaster divaricatus6
Cotoneaster foveolatus2
Cotoneaster franchetii7
Cotoneaster glabratus1
Cotoneaster glaucophyllus3
Cotoneaster gracilis1
Cotoneaster harrovianus3
Cotoneaster hebephyllus1
Cotoneaster horizontalis7
Cotoneaster horizontalis var. perpusillus2
Cotoneaster integerrimus1
Cotoneaster moupinensis1
Cotoneaster multiflorus5
Cotoneaster nitens2
Cotoneaster nitidus1
Cotoneaster obscurus2
Cotoneaster pannosus6
Cotoneaster rhytidophyllus1
Cotoneaster rosiflorus1
Cotoneaster rubens1
Cotoneaster salicifolius13
Cotoneaster salicifolius var. henryanus1
Cotoneaster salicifolius var. rugosus4
Cotoneaster silvestrii2
Cotoneaster soongoricus1
Cotoneaster tenuipes1
Cotoneaster zabelii2
Crataegus177Crataegus chlorosarca1
Crataegus cuneata1
Crataegus oresbia1
Crataegus pinnatifida32
Crataegus sanguinea2
Crataegus scabrifolia2
Cydonia5Cydonia oblonga1
Dasiphora12Dasiphora fruticosa14
Dichotomanthes7Dichotomanthes tristaniicarpa2
Docynia1Docynia delavayi3
Docynia indica1
Duchesnea15Duchesnea indica1
Eriobotrya3Eriobotrya japonica6
Exochorda47Exochorda giraldii2
Exochorda racemosa2
Exochorda racemosa ssp. racemosa1
Fragaria28Fragaria moschata1
Fragaria nilgerrensis2
Fragaria orientalis1
FragariastrumFragariastrum articulatum1
Fragariastrum eriocarpum3
Geum1Geum aleppicum1
Malus229Malus baccata2
Malus bhutanica1
Malus doumeri5
Malus halliana4
Malus hupehensis2
Malus kansuensis3
Malus prunifolia6
Malus pumila3
Malus spectabilis17
Malus sylvestris1
Malus toringo1
Malus transitoria7
Malus yunnanensis1
Neillia5Neillia ribesioides1
Neillia sinensis2
Neillia thibetica1
Osteomeles2Osteomeles schwerinae1
Padus153Padus brachypoda2
Photinia17Photinia beauverdiana2
Photinia bodinieri1
Photinia glabra1
Photinia glomerata1
Photinia integrifolia var. flavidiflora1
Photinia prionophylla3
Photinia villosa1
Potentilla1Potentilla coriandrifolia2
Potentilla eriocarpa var. tsarongensis1
Potentilla glabra var. veitchii1
Potentilla griffithii1
Potentilla kryloviana2
Potentilla saundersiana1
Prinsepia13Prinsepia sinensis3
Prinsepia uniflora3
Prinsepia utilis1
Prunus805Prunus armeniaca151
Prunus avium1
Prunus canescens2
Prunus cerasoides7
Prunus cerasus3
Prunus clarofolia1
Prunus conradinae3
Prunus davidiana20
Prunus davidiana var. potaninii4
Prunus domestica12
Prunus dulcis2
Prunus glandulosa9
Prunus humilis1
Prunus insititia1
Prunus japonica9
Prunus kansuensis2
Prunus maackii1
Prunus mandshurica5
Prunus maximowiczii10
Prunus mume1
Prunus mume var. bungo46
Prunus obtusata1
Prunus padus1
Prunus persica6
Prunus persica246
Prunus salicina3
Prunus serrula21
Prunus setulosa1
Prunus sibirica1
Prunus simonii6
Prunus stipulacea4
prunus tangutica1
Prunus tomentosa7
Prunus undulata22
Prunus ussuriensis1
Prunus wilsonii2
Prunus × subhirtella2
PseudocydoniaPseudocydonia sinensis76
Pyracantha9Pyracantha angustifolia1
Pyracantha crenulata9
Pyracantha fortuneana2
Pyracantha loureiroi6
Pyrus3Pyrus betulifolia11
Pyrus bretschneideri4
Pyrus calleryana29
Pyrus communis6
Pyrus lindleyi3
Pyrus pashia2
Pyrus phaeocarpa8
Pyrus pyrifolia13
Pyrus serrulata8
Pyrus ussuriensis33
Rhaphiolepis41Rhaphiolepis indica2
Rosa71Rosa acicularis1
Rosa banksiae2
Rosa banksiae var. normalis1
Rosa banksiopsis3
Rosa bella2
Rosa berberifolia1
Rosa brunonii2
Rosa caudata3
Rosa chinensis1
Rosa corymbulosa2
Rosa cymosa2
Rosa davidii8
Rosa davurica4
Rosa filipes3
Rosa graciliflora3
Rosa helenae2
Rosa hugonis1
Rosa laevigata2
Rosa longicuspis4
Rosa macrophylla2
Rosa maximowicziana1
Rosa moyesii5
Rosa multibracteata2
Rosa multiflora2
Rosa multiflora var. cathayensis4
Rosa murielae1
Rosa odorata1
Rosa omeiensis9
Rosa omeiensis f. pteracantha1
Rosa persetosa1
Rosa praelucens1
Rosa prattii3
Rosa roxburghii3
Rosa rubus1
Rosa rugosa3
Rosa saturata3
Rosa sertata4
Rosa setipoda2
Rosa soulieana3
Rosa sweginzowii1
Rosa willmottiae4
Rosa xanthina7
Rubus7Rubus alceifolius1
Rubus alexeterius1
Rubus amabilis1
Rubus arcticus2
Rubus bambusarum1
Rubus biflorus4
Rubus buergeri2
Rubus chroosepalus3
Rubus cochinchinensis1
Rubus cockburnianus4
Rubus corchorifolius2
Rubus coreanus2
Rubus crataegifolius5
Rubus flagelliflorus3
Rubus flosculosus4
Rubus fockeanus1
Rubus fraxinifolius1
Rubus henryi2
Rubus hirsutus1
Rubus ichangensis2
Rubus idaeus2
Rubus innominatus1
Rubus inopertus2
Rubus irenaeus3
Rubus lambertianus3
Rubus lambertianus var. glaber2
Rubus lambertianus var. paykouangensis1
Rubus lasiostylus7
Rubus lineatus1
Rubus maershanensis3
Rubus mesogaeus3
Rubus parkeri1
Rubus parvifolius5
Rubus pedunculosus2
Rubus phoenicolasius1
Rubus pileatus1
Rubus rolfei1
Rubus rosifolius4
Rubus saxatilis1
Rubus setchuenensis4
Rubus stans1
Rubus swinhoei2
Rubus tephrodes2
Rubus thibetanus3
Rubus tricolor1
Rubus xanthocarpus7
Sibbaldia1Sibbaldia procumbens1
Sibiraea3Sibiraea laevigata1
Sorbaria8Sorbaria arborea3
Sorbaria sorbifolia2
Sorbus79Sorbus alnifolia2
Sorbus epidendron1
Sorbus folgneri3
Sorbus insignis2
Sorbus koehneana5
Sorbus pohuashanensis1
Sorbus poteriifolia1
Sorbus rehderiana1
Sorbus scalaris1
Sorbus setschwanensis1
Sorbus vestita1
Sorbus vilmorinii6
Sorbus wilsoniana1
Spenceria48Spenceria ramalana5
SpiraeaSpiraea arcuata1
Spiraea blumei1
Spiraea canescens1
Spiraea dasyantha1
Spiraea henryi1
Spiraea japonica3
Spiraea media2
Spiraea mollifolia1
Spiraea rosthornii1
Spiraea salicifolia1
Spiraea veitchii2
Spiraea wilsonii1
Stephanandra1Stephanandra chinensis1
Stranvaesia12Stranvaesia davidiana12
132Rubiaceae947Pavetta1 / /
Adina1Adina pilulifera1
Aidia3Aidia henryi1
Benkara196Benkara sinensis1
Catunaregam31Catunaregam spinosa1
Diplospora5Diplospora dubia1
Gardenia47Gardenia jasminoides5
Ixora95Ixora chinensis1
Lasianthus114Lasianthus fordii1
LeptodermisLeptodermis oblonga1
Luculia5Luculia gratissima3
Mussaenda3Mussaenda divaricata1
Mussaenda pubescens1
Paederia153Paederia foetida14
Psychotria2Psychotria asiatica1
Psychotria serpens1
Rubia243Rubia cordifolia2
Spermacoce48Spermacoce remota1
133Rutaceae340Fortunella3 / /
Atalantia24Atalantia buxifolia16
Boenninghausenia3Boenninghausenia albiflora2
Citrus2Citrus cavaleriei1
Citrus japonica17
Citrus maxima3
Citrus medica12
Citrus reticulata7
Citrus sinensis43
Citrus trifoliata4
Citrus × aurantiifolia27
Citrus × aurantium28
Citrus × limon3
Clausena199Clausena lansium13
Evodia3 / /
Glycosmis64Glycosmis pentaphylla1
Murraya4Murraya exotica1
Murraya koenigii1
PhellodendronPhellodendron amurense1
Phellodendron chinense1
Phellodendron sachalinense1
Skimmia3Skimmia reevesiana3
Tetradium12Tetradium daniellii8
Tetradium glabrifolium1
Tetradium ruticarpum3
Triphasia1Triphasia trifolia1
Zanthoxylum22Zanthoxylum ailanthoides2
Zanthoxylum armatum4
Zanthoxylum bungeanum5
Zanthoxylum schinifolium1
Zanthoxylum stenophyllum1
134Sabiaceae3Meliosma3Meliosma cuneifolia1
Meliosma flexuosa1
Meliosma pannosa3
135Salicaceae157Carrierea1Carrierea calycina2
Idesia76Idesia polycarpa3
Populus53Populus alba3
Populus balsamifera1
Populus euphratica1
Populus lasiocarpa2
Populus maximowiczii2
Populus nigra1
Populus pruinosa1
Populus przewalskii1
Populus simonii2
Populus suaveolens2
Populus szechuanica3
Populus tomentosa1
Populus yunnanensis2
Salix1Salix babylonica1
Salix longiflora1
Salix luctuosa1
Salix magnifica1
Salix matsudana1
Salix rorida1
Salix taraikensis1
ScolopiaScolopia chinensis1
Xylosma26Xylosma congesta3
136Santalaceae1Viscum1 / /
137Sapindaceae309Acer127Acer amplum ssp. tientaiense1
Acer argutum1
Acer barbinerve6
Acer buergerianum3
Acer caesium1
Acer campbellii1
Acer cappadocicum4
Acer carpinifolium1
Acer caudatum2
Acer cissifolium1
Acer davidii6
Acer davidii ssp. grosseri2
Acer diabolicum3
Acer erianthum1
Acer fabri1
Acer griseum4
Acer laevigatum1
Acer laxiflorum6
Acer mandshuricum4
Acer maximowiczii1
Acer micranthum1
Acer morrisonense1
Acer oliverianum2
Acer paxii1
Acer pictum ssp. mono4
Acer pseudosieboldianum2
Acer rufinerve2
Acer stachyophyllum ssp. betulifolium4
Acer sterculiaceum ssp. franchetii1
Acer tataricum ssp. ginnala4
Acer tegmentosum3
Acer truncatum1
Acer tschonoskii1
Acer ukurunduense1
Aesculus9Aesculus chinensis var. wilsonii5
Aesculus chinese3
Aesculus turbinata1
Dimocarpus1Dimocarpus longan4
Dipteronia5Dipteronia sinensis1
Koelreuteria40Koelreuteria elegans ssp. formosana2
Koelreuteria paniculata5
Litchi111Litchi chinensis9
Sapindus13Sapindus saponaria5
Xanthoceras3Xanthoceras sorbifolium8
138Saxifragaceae93Astilbe5Astilbe rivularis1
Astilbe rubra1
Bergenia4Bergenia purpurascens2
Rodgersia71Rodgersia purdomii1
Saxifraga13Saxifraga hirculus1
139Schisandraceae25Illicium4 / /
Kadsura1 / /
Schisandra20Schisandra chinensis12
Schisandra propinqua2
Schisandra rubriflora3
140Scrophulariaceae12Buddleja7Buddleja albiflora3
Buddleja alternifolia2
Buddleja asiatica1
Buddleja caryopteridifolia1
Buddleja curviflora1
Buddleja davidii7
Buddleja delavayi1
Buddleja fallowiana2
Buddleja forrestii3
Buddleja lindleyana2
Buddleja myriantha1
Buddleja nivea2
Verbascum5Verbascum thapsus5
141Simaroubaceae3Ailanthus3Ailanthus cacodendron1
Ailanthus vilmoriniana1
142Smilacaceae10Smilax10Smilax china1
Smilax riparia1
Smilax stans1
143Solanaceae191Alkekengi2Alkekengi officinarum2
Anisodus1Anisodus tanguticus1
Capsicum19Capsicum annuum44
Datura12Datura ferox1
Datura stramonium3
Hyoscyamus17Hyoscyamus niger3
Lycium8Lycium chinense5
Nicotiana20Nicotiana alata3
Nicotiana rustica12
Nicotiana tabacum1
Nierembergia5Nierembergia scoparia1
Physalis4Physalis alkekengi1
Solanum103Solanum aculeatissimum1
Solanum aethiopicum1
Solanum dulcamara6
Solanum erianthum1
Solanum lycopersicum39
Solanum mammosum1
Solanum melongena36
Solanum nigrum1
Solanum tuberosum10
144Stachyuraceae7Stachyurus7Stachyurus chinensis2
Stachyurus himalaicus2
Stachyurus yunnanensis1
145Staphyleaceae20Euscaphis5Euscaphis japonica7
Staphylea4Staphylea holocarpa var. rosea2
Turpinia11Turpinia ternata1
146Styracaceae157Perkinsiodendron10Perkinsiodendron macgregorii7
Rehderodendron113Rehderodendron macrocarpum2
Sinojackia2Sinojackia rehderiana1
Sinojackia xylocarpa1
Styrax32Styrax calvescens1
Styrax confusus3
Styrax dasyanthus5
Styrax faberi1
Styrax hemsleyanus2
Styrax japonicus2
Styrax limprichtii2
Styrax odoratissimus1
Styrax perkinsiae1
Styrax serrulatus1
Styrax suberifolius1
Styrax wilsonii4
147Symplocaceae10Symplocos10Symplocos congesta1
Symplocos paniculata2
Symplocos stellaris1
Symplocos theophrastifolia2
148Tamaricaceae5Reaumuria2 / /
Tamarix3Tamarix aphylla3
149Taxaceae4Taxus1Taxus wallichiana var. chinensis2
Torreya3Torreya fargesii2
Torreya grandis1
Torreya jackii1
150Theaceae107Gordonia6 / /
Camellia12Camellia cuspidata1
Camellia forrestii4
Camellia fraterna1
Camellia japonica1
Camellia oleifera2
Camellia pitardii5
Camellia reticulata2
Camellia sasanqua2
Camellia sinensis21
Polyspora53Polyspora axillaris2
Polyspora chrysandra4
Pyrenaria27Pyrenaria spectabilis3
Schima7Schima argentea1
Stewartia2Stewartia monadelpha1
Stewartia sinensis1
151Thymelaeaceae94Daphne6Daphne acutiloba1
Daphne papyracea1
Daphne retusa1
Daphne tangutica2
Edgeworthia2Edgeworthia chrysantha1
Wikstroemia86Wikstroemia chamaedaphne1
152Trochodendraceae12Tetracentron12Tetracentron sinense3
153Ulmaceae494Hemiptelea30Hemiptelea davidii2
Ulmus461Ulmus davidiana1
Ulmus davidiana var. japonica2
Ulmus glabra1
Ulmus laciniata1
Ulmus macrocarpa13
Ulmus parvifolia3
Ulmus pumila430
Ulmus pumila2
Zelkova3Zelkova serrata2
Zelkova sinica1
154Urticaceae33Boehmeria11Boehmeria macrophylla1
Boehmeria nivea10
Debregeasia31Debregeasia edulis1
Laportea2Laportea bulbifera1
155Verbenaceae15Duranta14Duranta erecta1
Verbena1Verbena officinalis1
156Viburnaceae18Sambucus13Sambucus javanica1
Sambucus williamsii4
Viburnum5Viburnum atrocyaneum2
Viburnum betulifolium21
Viburnum brachybotryum1
Viburnum buddleifolium2
Viburnum burejaeticum7
Viburnum cylindricum1
Viburnum davidii4
Viburnum dilatatum2
Viburnum erosum4
Viburnum farreri3
Viburnum foetidum2
Viburnum glomeratum4
Viburnum hanceanum2
Viburnum henryi3
Viburnum kansuense3
Viburnum keteleeri2
Viburnum luzonicum1
Viburnum nervosum2
Viburnum odoratissimum4
Viburnum oliganthum1
Viburnum opulus9
Viburnum propinquum4
Viburnum rhytidophyllum5
Viburnum setigerum6
Viburnum utile2
157Violaceae826Viola826Viola collina1
Viola seoulensis1
Viola tenuicornis1
Viola variegata2
158Vitaceae144Acer127Acer nikoense1
Ampelopsis2Ampelopsis aconitifolia4
Ampelopsis delavayana1
Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata3
Nekemias3Nekemias chaffanjonii2
Nekemias megalophylla2
Parthenocissus1Parthenocissus henryana1
Parthenocissus tricuspidata1
Vitis11Vitis amurensis14
Vitis davidii1
Vitis flexuosa2
Vitis heyneana2
Vitis labrusca1
Vitis piasezkii3
Vitis romanetii2
Vitis vinifera29
159Zingiberaceae435Hedychium1 / /
Alpinia12Alpinia japonica1
Cautleya15Cautleya gracilis1
Curcuma155Curcuma phaeocaulis1
Roscoea243Roscoea cautleoides2
Roscoea humeana4
Zingiber9Zingiber officinale7

Notes

1
Between 1895 and 1945, Taiwan was under Japanese colonial administration; however, in early USDA SPI records, the island was commonly recorded as “Formosa” and was often treated together with plant resources from China. Based on the historical context of the archival sources rather than contemporary political boundaries, this study incorporates plant introduction records from Taiwan into the overall analytical framework of Chinese plant resources, in order to maintain a historically accurate reconstruction of U.S. plant introduction activities in the early twentieth century.
2
Palemon Howard Dorsett (1862–1943) was a senior plant explorer with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). He began his career in 1909 in the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction and played a leading role in large-scale, institutionally organized plant exploration expeditions. Most notably, he co-led the Dorsett Morse expeditions (1929–1931) to East Asia, which resulted in the collection of thousands of plant accessions, including extensive soybean germplasm that proved crucial for U.S. crop improvement programs. (Hymowitz 1984). Beyond field collecting, Dorsett was also an active agricultural scientist and author, publishing studies on plant cultivation and breeding based on his work in China (e.g., Dorsett and Dorsett 1928). His activities exemplify the transition of U.S. plant introduction from individual exploration to a systematic, state-supported enterprise, alongside contemporaries such as Meyer and Rock (Alvarez 2007).

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Figure 1. Workflow diagram.
Figure 1. Workflow diagram.
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Figure 2. Overall spatial pattern of accessions provenance in China.
Figure 2. Overall spatial pattern of accessions provenance in China.
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Figure 3. Overall temporal pattern of plant introductions from China.
Figure 3. Overall temporal pattern of plant introductions from China.
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Figure 4. Temporal changes in the number of plant collectors in China.
Figure 4. Temporal changes in the number of plant collectors in China.
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Figure 5. Spatial layout of the main activity areas of key foreign plant collectors in China. Subfigure (a) illustrates the aggregated spatial distribution of all recorded plant introductions in China. Subfigures (bj) depict the spatial introduction patterns of individual major foreign introducers, as listed in the lower-left legend. The color gradients above each panel correspond to specific introducers, with consistent color coding across the figure. Each map represents the geographic intensity (heat map) of plant introductions conducted by the respective introducer. Darker colors indicate higher numbers of introduced taxa within provincial administrative units.
Figure 5. Spatial layout of the main activity areas of key foreign plant collectors in China. Subfigure (a) illustrates the aggregated spatial distribution of all recorded plant introductions in China. Subfigures (bj) depict the spatial introduction patterns of individual major foreign introducers, as listed in the lower-left legend. The color gradients above each panel correspond to specific introducers, with consistent color coding across the figure. Each map represents the geographic intensity (heat map) of plant introductions conducted by the respective introducer. Darker colors indicate higher numbers of introduced taxa within provincial administrative units.
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Figure 6. The introduction timelines and quantities of the top ten foreign plant collectors in China. Different colors correspond to individual foreign plant introducers in China, consistent with the color coding in Figure 5.
Figure 6. The introduction timelines and quantities of the top ten foreign plant collectors in China. Different colors correspond to individual foreign plant introducers in China, consistent with the color coding in Figure 5.
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Figure 7. Analysis of the cumulative annual totals and interannual variation of plant introductions from China.
Figure 7. Analysis of the cumulative annual totals and interannual variation of plant introductions from China.
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Figure 8. Statistics of plant families comprising the top 70% of the total number of introduced plants.
Figure 8. Statistics of plant families comprising the top 70% of the total number of introduced plants.
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Figure 9. Statistics of genera accounting for the top 70% of the total number of introduced plant species: Notably, the exceptionally high number of Rhododendron introductions reflects sustained collecting efforts by several key collectors (e.g., J. F. Rock) in southwestern China, as well as the strong ornamental demand for this genus in early twentieth-century U.S. horticulture.
Figure 9. Statistics of genera accounting for the top 70% of the total number of introduced plant species: Notably, the exceptionally high number of Rhododendron introductions reflects sustained collecting efforts by several key collectors (e.g., J. F. Rock) in southwestern China, as well as the strong ornamental demand for this genus in early twentieth-century U.S. horticulture.
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Table 1. Family, Count, and Proportion (%) accounting for the top 70% of the total introduced plants.
Table 1. Family, Count, and Proportion (%) accounting for the top 70% of the total introduced plants.
NumberFamilyCountProportion (%)
1Poaceae596625.0%
2Fabaceae499620.9%
3Rosaceae256610.7%
4Ericaceae11704.9%
5Cucurbitaceae6272.6%
6Ulmaceae4662.0%
7Fagaceae3951.7%
8Brassicaceae3911.6%
9Primulaceae3231.4%
10Asteraceae2911.2%
Table 2. Genera, Count, and Proportion (%) accounting for the top 70% of the total introduced plants.
Table 2. Genera, Count, and Proportion (%) accounting for the top 70% of the total introduced plants.
NumberGenusCountProportion (%)
1Glycine302912.7%
2Triticum23219.7%
3Oryza15236.4%
4Rhododendron10774.5%
5Vigna8263.5%
6Prunus8053.4%
7Hordeum6112.6%
8Ulmus4611.9%
9Pyrus4361.8%
10Primula2861.2%
11Castanea2851.2%
12Cucumis2801.2%
13Sorghum2651.1%
14Brassica2611.1%
15Rosa2431.0%
16Diospyros2421.0%
17Malus2291.0%
18Lilium2140.9%
19Citrus1990.8%
20Berberis1960.8%
21Rubus1840.8%
22Cotoneaster1770.7%
23Phaseolus1720.7%
24Cucurbita1550.6%
25Paeonia1530.6%
26Viburnum1530.6%
27Zea1520.6%
28Acer1270.5%
29Sesamum1240.5%
30Medicago1200.5%
31Iris1180.5%
32Allium1160.5%
33Setaria1150.5%
34Lespedeza1140.5%
35Raphanus1130.5%
36Phyllostachys1130.5%
37Lonicera1110.5%
38Solanum1030.4%
39Vicia1010.4%
40Pisum990.4%
41Bambusa980.4%
42Juglans950.4%
43Elymus930.4%
44Vitis860.4%
45Avena850.4%
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Chen, S.; Hu, X.; Liu, J.; Wang, K.; Wu, R.; Pi, B.; Wang, G.; Bao, Z. The Introduction of Chinese Plants into the United States: The 1898–1949 Period. Histories 2026, 6, 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/histories6010020

AMA Style

Chen S, Hu X, Liu J, Wang K, Wu R, Pi B, Wang G, Bao Z. The Introduction of Chinese Plants into the United States: The 1898–1949 Period. Histories. 2026; 6(1):20. https://doi.org/10.3390/histories6010020

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chen, Silun, Xuhao Hu, Jiachen Liu, Ke Wang, Renwu Wu, Bingling Pi, Gangqiong Wang, and Zhiyi Bao. 2026. "The Introduction of Chinese Plants into the United States: The 1898–1949 Period" Histories 6, no. 1: 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/histories6010020

APA Style

Chen, S., Hu, X., Liu, J., Wang, K., Wu, R., Pi, B., Wang, G., & Bao, Z. (2026). The Introduction of Chinese Plants into the United States: The 1898–1949 Period. Histories, 6(1), 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/histories6010020

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