A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON THE EVERGREEN BROAD-LEAVED FOREST IN THE VALLEY OF KUNMING REGION

The evergreen broad-leaved forest in the valley is an important type of forest in Kunming region, and it is distributed, chiefly in the non-calcareous area. The forest differs from the zonal vegetation in Kunming region the mid-subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest of the semi-humid region, for the forest is situated in a moister and more shady environment, However it is also different from the humid forest in the south-eastern China, for it is absent of Hamamelidaceae. Mostly the tree layers in this foist are not very distinct, thus it possesses a clear characteristic of the coppice and secondary forest. The valley habitat is fertiler, moister and warmer(especially in winter). There are many kinds of plants i. e. about 300 species, belonging to 200 genera and 90 families. Noteworthily there are grossly woody lianas, a phenomenon of variegatedleaves among the undergrowth, and tall ferns(including tree-fernlike form) in the forest. Therefore this ravine forest has prominently some south-subtropical character. Nowadays this ravine evergreen broad-leaved forest has become less and less in Kunrning region(only several thousand ha. remained). It is the precious gene pool, and has an especial importance in maintaining the ecological balance of local nature. The forest should be paid-more attention to and protected effectively.