Endemic ornamental plant resources in China

Located in East Asia, on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has a land area of about 9.6 million km(2). In China, abundant plant resources exist due to the varied and complicated terrain and great variety of temperature belts. However, many species with valuable characters remain unexploited and under utilized. This review focuses on some endemic plants of China with potential value in industrial floriculture. Many wild genera and bred varieties of Osmanthus, Lilium, Lycoris, ornamental ferns and rare species of Orchidaceae are described in this paper. There are 157 cultivars with different tree shape, flower color and florescence in Osmanthus fragrance planted in gardens. In Lilium native to China there are 47 species and 18 varieties with different stem height, flower number and color, and special cold- or hot- or disease-resistance. In addition, in Lycoris 10 endemic species with different height of scape, flower color, number and florescence remain in natural habitats. Some endangered ferns with special beauty have potential as indoor foliage plants. These resources are described.