Abstract: [Objective] This study aims to investigate the composition and spatial-temporal variation of the seed rain in an evergreen broad-leaved forest in Jinyun Mountain. This study also aims to provide data support for large-scale and long-term ecological studies on seeds in evergreen broad-leaved forests, as well as to guide the collection of seed sources and to learn the patterns of seed dispersal during the restoration of damaged forests.[Method] Seeds were collected from January 2014 to December 2016 using 172 seed traps established in a 1hm² monitoring plot in Jinyun Mountain. Collected seeds were identified and counted, and seed mass was weighted after being air-dried.[Result] 36 298 mature seeds belonging to 27 species of 21 genera and 19 families were collected in three years. The density of the seed rain was 140.69 seeds·m^-2 a^-1. The 27 species accounted for 36.49% of the total number of woody plants within the study plot. The seed rain showed a clear seasonal dynamics and the peak of the seed rain appeared in autumn; 17 species released mature seeds in the dry season (from January to April and from October to December), while 6 species released mature seeds in the wet season (from May to September) and 4 species released mature seeds in both dry and wet seasons. The coefficient of interannual variation of the seed rain ranged between 0.36 and 1.73, and the coefficient of spatial variation of the seed rain ranged between 1.54 and 15.20.[Conclusion] Seed production in Jinyun Mountain was relatively low compared with the other evergreen broad-leaved forests. Collected seeds were mainly from the dominant species of the above-ground plant communities. However, the similarity in species composition between the seed rain and the above-ground plant communities was low. Seed rain showed a clear seasonal dynamic together with a large interannual and spatial variation, which reflected the typical characteristics of the seed rain in subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests in terms of its spatial and temporal dynamics. This study provides data support for large-scale and long-term studies on seed ecology in evergreen broad-leaved forests. The spatial-temporal dynamics of the seed rain should be carefully referred to when collecting and sowing seeds during forest restoration processes.

Key words: Jinyun Mountain, evergreen broad-leaved forest, seed rain, species composition, temporal dynamics, spatial variation