Abstract:

“Ba Qi”, a kind of raw lacquer coming exclusively from the mountainous area of Enshi Prefecture, southwest of Hubei Province, has owned very good quality and fame for a long history. Under detailed and thorough investigation about its ethnobotany and resources in its producing area, we found its cradleland located in !Rentoushan" Mountain, where is in Lichuan County and adjacent to Xianfeng County. The lacquer trees in the cradleland owned abundant genetic biodiversity. In the mountainous area of Enshi, local people have created a series of methods, which had very high efficiency in managing and utilizing the lacquer trees. In southwest Hubei Province, local people utilizing and cultivating lacquer trees has been influenced by outside for a long history. In recent ten years, influenced by market economy, product of "Bai Qi" and resources of lacquer tree in Enshi has been in a depressed condition. The local government should play a certain role in developing the production of "Ba Qi", such as leading the local people to establish a concentrated and efficient productive mode, propagandize "Ba Qi", standardize the trade, expand its usage, and fully use the abundance of genetic biodiversity of lacquer trees in Enshi to produce new and good breeds etc. So the good quality and fame of "Ba Qi" will be brought into play well and will run a good role in the local economy in the southwest of Hubei Province.

Key words: &ldquo, Ba Qi&rdquo, lacquer, Toxicodendron vernicifluum, southwest of Hubei Province, ethnobotany