Abstract:

Based on the investigation of the tropical rain forest (each one for tropical seasonal rain forest and tropical montane rain forest) in Xishuangbanna, all published and unpublished plant community types from 1980's to nowaday have been summarized, revised and renamed. Then, a regional complete system of vegetation classification has been sorted out:2 vegetation-types(TSRF and TMRF) ,9 formations and 16 plant community types(associations), each community type with a brief association table to show the diversity features of community type of tropical rain forest in Xishuangbanna. The tropical seasonal rain forest (TSRF) is a longitudinal zonational vegetation type in the southern part of Xishuangbanna, in which the hill rain forest is a more typical type. The tropical montane rain forest (TMRF) is an altitudinal zonational vegetation type in the southern part of the Xishuangbanna while it is a longitudinal zonational vegetation type in the northern part of same area, and a non-zonational (azonational) vegetaion type exists also in the southern part of the same area at higher altitude. All of these show the diversity features of zonational vegetaion types in the tropical rain forest of Xishuangbanna.

Key words: Xishuangbanna, Tropical rain forest, Diversity of community type