Abstract:

In order to understand the species diversity and ecological characteristics of seed vines in Hunan and Hubei Provinces,Origin of taxonomic units,climbing mechanics,breeding system and life habits of vines were studied.The results showed:There are 784 seed vine species,belonging to 159 genera and 60 families,which account for 11.1%,10.8% and 29.7% of the whole seed plant flora in this study area,respectively.The seed vine flora composes mainly of small families and genera in this study area,the number of families(genera)with 1～10 vine species account for 68.3%(89.9%)of the total families(genera).Although the seed vine species are included in many families,the majority belongs to relatively few families.Thus 64.8% of the 784 seed vine species only belong to 11 families(Vitaceae,Actinidiaceae,Papilionaceae,Ranunculaceae,Rosaceae and so on).The seed vine climbing mechanics are divided into 5 main types and 12 subtypes,among which twining account for 48.7%,curling 23.2%,hooking 16.5%,adhering 6.0%,mixed 5.6%.In the seed vine sexual system,the bisexual flower account for 67.3%,the polygamous flower 5.1%,the dioecism 20%,and the monoecism 7.5%.

Key words: vine, species diversity, life habit, climbing mechanics, breeding system