SYSTEMATIC and evolutionary botany and plant ecology were not official fields of study in China until the beginning of last century. However, Chinese scholars in those fields have already made remarkable achievements.

The first batch of botanists to study plant taxonomy and ecology included overseas returnees like Hu Hsen-Hsu (1894-1968), Chien Sung-Su (1883-1965), Chien Woon-Yong (1890-1971) as well as homegrown scientists like Tsoong Kuan-Kuang (1868-1940).

Chinese taxonomists have made many remarkable achievements, including the discovery of Metasequoia glyptostroboides, known as “living fossils”, compilations of “Iconographia Cormophytorum Sinicorum” and “Claves Familiarum Generumque Cormophytorum Sinicorum”, the publication of Ren-Chang Ching’s dissertation titled “The Chinese fern families and genera: systematic arrangement and historical origin” and particularly the compilation “Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae” and its English version. The “Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae”, which contains contributions from over 400 scholars and was completed in 2004 after 45 years’ work, has 80 volumes and 126 books, making it the largest botanical masterpiece detailing 31,142 species belonging to 3,408 genera of 301 families.

At present, Chinese scholars in systematic and evolutionary botany are working on the major scientific questions of this field by taking advantage of unique Chinese geographical and environmental advantages.

De-Yuan Hong, a fellow of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, published a monograph titled, Peonies of the World: Taxonomy and Phytogeography, which properly tackled the problems of the taxonomy and nomenclature of the genus Paeonia. The monograph has worked out a solution for the taxonomy and evolutionary history of this genus based on the data from morphology, biogeography, cytotaxonomy and molecular phylogenetics. In addition, the monograph extensively discusses species concepts and how to use them in studies, and the author presents a practical species concept. The monograph won high praise from both native and foreign scholars and has been recognized as an essential reference book on the study of Paeonia plants.

Chinese scientists have also made major breakthroughs concerning speciation and its mechanism, speciation by polyploidy, diversification and bio -geography of gymnosperms, species diversity and its formation mechanism in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the evolution of the angiosperm flower and its gene regulatory networks (GRNs), as well as the molecular mechanisms of some important domestic crop traits. All of these achievements have significantly promoted the reputation and academic level of systematic and evolutionary botanists from China.

(Yang Mei, A Ding)