Abstract: There were 387 rare and endangered plant species in Tongbiguan Natural Reserve. Among which 30 species belonged to National Key Wild Plant Species Emphatically Protected in China; 44 were listed as Rare and Endangered Plant Species in China; 53 were the protected plant species in Yunnan Province; 269 were protected species listed in CITES convention appendix III and II according to the survey. It was showed that the rare and endangered plant species were unevenly distributed between 210-3400m in different elevation gradients inside the nature reserve. The richness of the rare, endangered and protected plant species reflected the typical characteristics of the single peak curve along the altitudinal gradient variation. The distribution of the nationally and provincially protected plant species reached their peaks between the altitudes from 800m to 1100m. There were 18 nationally protected species at this elevation range, accounting for 600% of the total 30 species; and there were 37 provincially protected species distributed between 800-1100m elevation range, accounting for 698% of the total 53 species respectively. However, 494% of the 269 CITES listed plant species were distributed between 1200-1900m elevation range.