Two new cycloartane-type triterpene glycosides were isolated from rhizomes of Curculigo orchioides. Their structures were elucidated as 3β,11α,16β-trihydroxycycloartane-24-one-3-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl(1→3)-β-D-glucopyranosyl(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-16-O-α-L-arabinopyranoside(1) and (24S)-3β,11α,16β,24-tetrahydroxycycloartane-3-O[β-D-glucopyranosyl(1→3)-β-D-glucopyranosyl(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-24-O-β-D-glucopyranodide (2), respectively, on the basis of their spectroscopic methods.

Early differentiation of floral primordium before the appearance of megascopic primordia protuberance was investigated im Cucumis sativus L. The results showed that the differentiation of floral primordium and flower firstly occurred at the axil of the fire leaf. Before the appearance of megascopic primordia protuberance, a spherical cell aggregate with active cell division appeared at subepidermis as an early primordium at 6-7 day age of seedlings.

Two new triterpenoid saponins were isolated from the rools of Hemsleya penxianensis var. gulinensis together with seven known saponins oleanolic acid 28-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), oleanolic acid 3-O-β-D-glucuropyranoside(3), 3-O-β-D-glucuropyranosyl-oleanolic acid-28-O-α-L-arabinopyranoside(4).

The acclimatization of five wild Primroses (Pfrimula forrestii Franch, P.poissonii Franch, P.bulleyana Forr., P.secundiflora Franch and P.sikkimensis Hook,)from N.M.Yunnan is reported in the present paper. Their seeds were collected from different places with various climate and ecological environments. Through observation for the process from "seed to seed" in different controls including mediums, temperature, light duration etc, we come out with three convincing arguments: (1) All seeds possess a high germination adaptability in cultivation in Kunming, though the germination capacity of each species seeds in different medium is uneven.

Oral vaccines produced by transgenic plants would change traditional means of production and inoculation of vaccines, and the cost of vaccine production would be reduced greatly. The epidemic of tuberculosis makes it necessary that the new and more effective vaccines for immunoprophylaxis of anti-tuber -culosis should be developed.

Pollen morphology of 18 taxa of Porana s.l. was examined under light microscope(LM) and scanning electron microscope(SEM). Except 7 species and 1 variety, the rest are reported for the first time. The results showed that four types of pollen grains are recognized in Porana s.l. according to the size, shape, ornamentation and characteristics of colpate membranes:(1)subspheroidal of spheroidal (p/E=1.00-1.05), 11.6-15.4×11.4-15.0 um,microspinulose-foveolate or microspinulose-perforate, 3-colpate, coarsely granulate of tuberculate inside the colpi.

A. buergeriano Miq. affine, sed differt fructibus, raro bi-vel quadrialatis,alis cum nucula brevioribus, 1.5-2 cm longis, foliis brevioribus, 2-5 cm longis.

The arbuscular mycorrhizal status of 60 plant species growing in the dry-hot valley of Jinsha River was surveyed by means of acid fuchsin after the roots were lysised in alkaline solution. It was found that 70% of the species were arbuscularly mycorrhized. Most of the constructive species of the natural plant community and some species in Cyperaceae and Polygonaceae have arbuscular mycorrhizas. Arbuscular mycorrhiza is an important component in the dry-hot valley ecosystem. Thus it is essential to restore the vegetation of the dry-hot valley.

A comprehensive survey of rare and endangered species had been held on for four years in Yunnan from May 1997 to Augut 2001, under the leadership of the Forestry Department of Yunnan Province. According to the record, there are 90 species in the national priority priority protection, but we only found 87 species. In the present paper, we discussed their distribution, current situation and proposed our recommendations for their protection. Among these species, there are 22 species in national first class protection plants, 51 species in national second class protection plants and 17 species belonging to the provincial protection plants.

In the present paper, two new species(Aerobryopsis aristifolia and A.yunnanensis) and five new records (Aerobryidium crispifolium; Aerobryopsis membranacea and A.subleptostigmata; Barbella convolvens and B. stdevensii) in the Family Meteoriaceae are reported. All hologypes of the new species and cited specimens of the new records are deposited in Cryptogamic Herbarium(HKAS), Kunming Institute of Botany Academia Sinica, Kunming, Yunnan, China.

Both the present state and long-term changes of aquatic plant diversity in Changhu Lake, the third largest lake of Hubei Province in China, were studied in the paper. The reasons for the diversity loss and effective approaches to restore the degraded aquatic plant diversity and lake ecosystem were discussed.

Human activities, resulted in land use and land cover changes, are main causes of global environmental changes. In 1990s, Yunnan had experienced very active economic development and environmental changes. This paper assessed the land use and land cover change between 1990 and 1998 in Lancang watershed by applying remote sensing, Geographic Information System(GIS) and other disciplines.It showed that the state designated forestland had increased from 64.9% in 1990 to 66.4% in 1998, however forest cover (natural forest and artificial forest with closed canopy >30%) had decreased from 52.6% in 1990 to 35.3% due to large-scale logging, infrastructure development, cash crop plantation, shifting cultivation and over-collection of fuelwood and construction material, which resulted in change of forest structure and loss of biodiversity.

Since the "Living Fossil" was discovered from central China in 1940s, the story of Metasequoia (also known as dawn redwood, Chinese redwood, and water fir in English), has been told over and again around the globe. While there's only one true account, the varied considerably. Among the arguments, who discovered the "Living Fossil"first, especially in China, and who introduced the seeds into USA, especially in the United States, have been most hotly debated in the past more than half century. Out of more than 100 documents and publications collected by the current author, documents by Fulling (1976), Wang (1981), Silverman (1990), Wang (汪国权1999), Shao et al (2000) were the most insightful in regards to these issues. Based on the review of the available resources, the following points have been summarized.

The present article has comprehensively studied the phytogeography of the genus Zelkova(Ulmaceae).The genus disjunctly distributed in East-Asia and Mediterranean, and belongs to Eastern Asiatic Region, Mediterranean Region and Irano-Turanian Region. Based on the morphological evolutionary trends, evidences from cytology and palynology, and combined with fosssil distribution adn geological events, we suppose that Zelkova is the relica of Tertiary temperate flora once wide spread throughout north hemisphere. The Late Tertiary orogeny of Himalaya and the Quaternary glaciation were the main factors intensively influenced the European Zelkova, whereas in East Asia, the effects were relatively insignificant.

Different kinds of tropical vegetations and evergreen broad-leafed forests are distributed over the vast region of southern China, in which there occur abundant fungi. Nearly 1200 genera and over 5000 species of higher fungi, including Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, have been reported from the region. Based on reliable records and own experiences of the authors, tropical affinities of the higher fungi there were analysed.

This paper listed 13 endemic genera that belonged to the desert region of Central Asia systematically, such as Potaninia, Ammopiptanthus, Tetraena, Stilpnolepis, Zollikaferia, Kaschgaria, Elachanthemum, Synstemon, Timouria, Sympegma, Iljinia and Sarcozygium. These monotypic or bitypic genera are isolated in the taxonomy, ancient in origin and advanced in the evolutionary system; they are all xerophytes and most of them are desert species, while in their life-forms shrubs and semi-shrubs are superior in numbers. The origins of all the genera are polygenetic, but the owned a common distributional center in the desert region of Alashan.

A var. sibirico recedit panicula contracta, glumis late lanceolatis apice obtusis, callo obtuso, 0.5mm longo, lemmatibus apice non longe pilosis.