The Flora of Taiwan () is the

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...

of the country of

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, also known as the Republic of China.
''Flora of Taiwan''
also refers to a set of books recording the

vascular plants Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes () or collectively Tracheophyta (), form a large group of land plants ( accepted known species) that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They al ...

(territories). The second edition consists of six volumes published in 1993–2003 and is available on-line. Taiwan is an island of diverse geography and varied climates, allowing for a vast array of flora to be present. Situated between China and the

Philippine Sea The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean east of the Philippine archipelago (hence the name), the largest in the world, occupying an estimated surface area of . The Philippine Sea Plate forms the floor of the sea. Its ...

basin, it is said to be the home of approximately 4000 species of

vascular plant Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes () or collectively Tracheophyta (), form a large group of land plants ( accepted known species) that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They al ...

s. Of these plants, it is estimated that 600 are

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

s, 28 are

gymnosperm The gymnosperms ( lit. revealed seeds) are a group of seed-producing plants that includes conifers, cycads, ''Ginkgo'', and gnetophytes, forming the clade Gymnospermae. The term ''gymnosperm'' comes from the composite word in el, γυμνό� ...

s, 2400 are dicots, and 1000 are

monocots Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of t ...

. The island can also be divided up into seven different

floristic region A phytochorion, in phytogeography, is a geographic area with a relatively uniform composition of plant species. Adjacent phytochoria do not usually have a sharp boundary, but rather a soft one, a transitional area in which many species from both r ...

s: northeastern, central,

Hengchun Hengchun Township is a township located on the southern tip of the Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung County, Taiwan. It is the southernmost township in Taiwan. Hengchun is also the only urban township in the southern part of Pingtung County. Hengch ...

, Lanyu (Orchid Island) and Lutao (Green Island), Alpine, upper montaine and supalpine, and lower montane and lowland. The northeastern region of Taiwan receives much more rainfall and cloud coverage than other regions, making the species of this particular region distinct to this particular climate. Species of flora within this region include:

Isoetes taiwanensis ''Isoetes taiwanensis'' is a species of plant in the family Isoetaceae. It is endemic to Taiwan, and the only species of quillwort there. As other quillworts, it is relatively small, with erect leaves long. It grows submersed in shallow ponds fo ...

Fagus hayatae ''Fagus hayatae'', also known as Taiwan beech, is a species of Beech, beech tree. It can grow tall.It is the only beech species native to Taiwan. While IUCN reports it, as Endemism, endemic to Taiwan, "''Flora of China''" and "''Flora of Taiwan' ...

, Maackia taiwaneses, Acer buergerianum var. formosanum, Sedum sekietense, Sedum uniflorum, Angelica dahurica, Angelica hirsutiflora, Rhododendron nakaharai, R. hyperthrum, Rhuchotechum formosanum, Salvia nippocanica var. formosana, Ericaulon chishingsanesis, Woodwardia harlandi, Cinnamomum austro-sinense,

Mahonia japonica ''Mahonia japonica'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, native to Taiwan. Despite the name, it is not native to Japan, though it has been known in cultivation there for centuries. The wild origins of this species have l ...

, Breischneidera sinensis, Triplerygium wilfordii, Ligularia japonica, Enkianthus perulaius, Quercus (Cyclobalanopsis) myrsinaefolia, Acronychia pedunculata, Enscaphis japonica, Lilum speciosum var. gloriosoides, Smilax nipponica, Keteleeria davidiana var. formosana. The central region of Taiwan is characterized by basins, and is a plains region mostly surrounded by mountain ranges, such as the Hsueshan Range in the North. The isolated region consists of forests of endemic flora species such as; Castanopsis eyrie, C. kawakamii,

Quercus dentata ''Quercus dentata'', also called Japanese emperor oak or daimyo oak ( ja, 柏, ''kashiwa''; ; ko, 떡갈나무, ''tteokgalnamu'') is a species of oak native to East Asia ( Japan, Korea and China). The name of the tree is often translated as "sw ...

, Q. serrata var. brevipetiolata,

Lindera aggregata ''Lindera aggregata'' is a plant species belonging to the genus ''Lindera''. Other names Engl.: evergreen lindera, Japanese evergreen spicebush. TCM: trad.烏藥, simpl. 乌药 or 乌乐, pinyin : wūyào. Bot. syn.: ''Benzoin strychnifolium'' ...

Podocarpus nakaii ''Podocarpus nakaii'' is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is endemic to Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the ...

, Ormosia formosana, Quercus (Cyclobalanopsis) globosa,

Castanopsis fargesii ''Castanopsis fargesii'' Is an evergreen tree that grows 10–30 m tall. The Latin specific epithet ''fargesii'' refers to the French missionary and amateur botanist Père Paul Guillaume Farges (1844–1912).Janet Mohun (senior editor) Habi ...

, Lithocarpus nantoensis. The

region of Taiwan is a subtropical evergreen forested area, with broad-leaved forests, as well as a few semi-tropical rain forests in the low-lands. Some of the flora species that can be found here include: ''

Lithocarpus dodonaeifolius ''Lithocarpus dodonaeifolius'' is a species of tree in the family Fagaceae. ''L. dodonaeifolius'' is a medium-sized tree, up to tall. It is endemic to Taiwan and only occurs in the Hengchun Peninsula in the extreme south of the country. It grow ...

'', , ''

Quercus hypophaea ''Quercus hypophaea'' is an uncommon species of tree in the beech family Fagaceae. It has been found only in Taiwan. It is placed in subgenus ''Cerris'', section ''Cyclobalanopsis''. ''Quercus hypophaea'' is a tree up to 18 meters tall with w ...

'' ''(Cyclobalanopsis hypophaea)'', ''

Quercus repandifolia ''Quercus glauca'' ( syn. ''Cyclobalanopsis glauca''), commonly called ring-cupped oak or Japanese blue oak, is a tree in the beech family ( Fagaceae). It is native to eastern and southern Asia, where it is found in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, no ...

'' ''(Cyclobalanopsis repandifolia)'', , , , , ''

Neolitsea daibuensis ''Neolitsea daibuensis'' is a species of plant in the family Lauraceae endemic to Taiwan. It is a small semi-deciduous tree that grows in the broad-leaved forests in southern Taiwan at altitudes of . It is threatened by habitat loss Habita ...

'', , , , , , ''

Euonymus pallidifolia ''Euonymus pallidifolius'' is an ornamental shrub in the family Celastraceae. It is endemic to Taiwan. It is threatened by habitat loss and considered critically endangered. Euonymus pallidifolia grows in evergreen forests on raised coral reefs ...

'', ''Dolichos trilobus'' var. ''kosyunensis'', Gleditsia rolfei, , , , , , '' Symplocos shilanensis'', '' Camellia hengchunensis'', , , . The Lanyu (Orchid Island) and Lutao (Green Island) region of Taiwan is the most similar to the Philippines, unlike the rest of Taiwan which is more similar to China. Of 445 seed-plant species on these two islets, 46 are shared with the Philippines; Lanyu and Lutao is the only region of Taiwan that shares species with the neighboring country. Endemic species within this district consist of , , '' Chisocheton kanehirai'', ''

Acalypha hontauyuensis ''Acalypha hontauyuensis'' is a species of plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is a shrub endemic to Orchid Island, Taiwan. The Flora of China, however, lists it as a synonym of '' Acalypha suirenbiensis'' from the Taiwanese mainland. Habitat ...

'', , , , ''

Garcinia linii ''Garcinia linii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Clusiaceae. It is found only in Taiwan. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural ...

'', , , , , , and . The

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

district of Taiwan has distinctly different flora from the rest of the country. The Alpine district consists mostly of boreal and temperate vegetation such as '' Botrychium lunar, ''Lycopodium selago'' var. ''appressum'',

Osmunda cinnamomea ''Osmundastrum'' is genus of leptosporangiate ferns in the family Osmundaceae with one living species, ''Osmundastrum cinnamomeum'', the cinnamon fern. It is native to the Americas and eastern Asia, growing in swamps, bogs and moist woodlands. I ...

, etc. The upper

montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

subalpine Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

district, similar to the Alpine district, is temperate to cool temperate. Conifers are the main vegetation of this region. ''

Abies kawakamii ''Abies kawakamii'' is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found only in Taiwan. First described in 1908 by Bunzō Hayata as a variety of '' Abies mariesii'', a high-mountain fir native to Japan; the next year it was elevated to ...

'', ''

Tsuga chinensis ''Tsuga chinensis'', commonly referred to as the Taiwan or Chinese hemlock, or in Chinese as tieshan (), is a coniferous tree species native to China, Taiwan, Tibet and Vietnam. The tree is quite variable and has many recognised varieties, thou ...

'', and ''

Picea morrisonicola ''Picea morrisonicola'', the Taiwan spruce, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found only in Taiwan, and it is the only species of spruce in Taiwan. It is the southernmost species of spruce in the world, being spread near the T ...

'', to name a few, are some of the species that exist within this floristic zone. The lower montane/lowland district of Taiwan is more similar to the warm climate forests, supporting

broadleaf forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s. Some of the species of the forests common to this floristic include: ''

Castanopsis ''Castanopsis'', commonly called chinquapin or chinkapin, is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the beech family, Fagaceae. The genus contains about 140 species, which are today restricted to tropical and subtropical eastern Asia. A total o ...

'', ''

Quercus An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably '' ...

'', and '' Lithocarpus''.

Agricultural Flora of Taiwan

Cultivated agriculture has drastically changed Taiwan's development. Agriculture has become as much a part of the naturally existing flora of Taiwan, and human influence on the land has greatly contributed to the vegetation of the country. Bamboo, fruits, grains and vegetable crops all thrive on the island, mostly thriving in the central, southern and eastern regions.

Bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

has largely taken a hold in the country as a cash crop. Large areas of Taiwan have been converted into various bamboo plantations. Most of the bamboo is grown to support the developing economy; however, the species also provides support to rural communities as its sturdiness provides strength and stands firm in the midst of the high-speed winds that can dominate the country during rainy monsoon seasons. Fruit trees typically grow in the low-lands of the island. Western and southwestern Taiwan are the primary fruit-producing regions. Fruits commonly grown in Taiwan are tropical and plentiful including

lychee Lychee (US: ; UK: ; ''Litchi chinensis''; ) is a Monotypic taxon, monotypic taxon and the sole member in the genus ''Litchi'' in the Sapindus, soapberry family, ''Sapindaceae''. It is a tropical tree native to Southeast and Southwest China (t ...

ponkan Ponkan (); ''Citrus poonensis''; "Chinese Honey Orange") is a high-yield sweet ''Citrus'' cultivar with large fruits in the size of an orange. It is a citrus hybrid ( mandarin × pomelo), though it was once thought to be a pure mandarin. Descri ...

tangerines, xuegan tangerines,

oranges An orange is a fruit of various citrus species in the family Rutaceae (see list of plants known as orange); it primarily refers to ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'', which is also called sweet orange, to distinguish it from the related ''Citrus × ...

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...

betel nuts The betel (''Piper betle'') is a vine of the family Piperaceae, which includes pepper and kava. The betel plant is native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious perennial, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel p ...

, kaochie pear,

plum A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are called prunes. History Plums may have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans. Three of the most abundantly cultivated species are not found i ...

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...

starfruit Carambola, also known as star fruit, is the fruit of '' Averrhoa carambola'', a species of tree native to tropical Southeast Asia. The mildly poisonous fruit is commonly consumed in parts of Brazil, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the South Pacif ...

persimmon The persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus ''Diospyros''. The most widely cultivated of these is the Oriental persimmon, ''Diospyros kaki'' ''Diospyros'' is in the family Ebenaceae, and a number of non-pers ...

guava Guava () is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava ''Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the ...

papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus ''Carica'' of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

, Indian dates,

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

apricot An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''. Usually, an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also ...

s, and

loquat The loquat (''Eriobotrya japonica'') is a large evergreen shrub or tree, grown commercially for its orange fruit and for its leaves, which are used to make herbal tea. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant. The loquat is in the family R ...

. Grain and vegetable crops are mainly cultivated in northern Taiwan. Rice and vegetables are grown in large paddies in the lowlands of the Da'an River, plains of

Miaoli Miaoli City (Wade–Giles: ''Miao²-li⁴''; Hakka PFS: ''Mèu-li̍t-sṳ''; Hokkien POJ: ''Biâu-le̍k-chhī'' or ''Miâu-le̍k-chhī'') is a county-administered city and the county seat of Miaoli County, Taiwan. Miaoli has a relatively h ...

and

Hsinchu Hsinchu (, Chinese: 新竹, Pinyin: ''Xīnzhú'', Wade–Giles: ''Hsin¹-chu²'') is a city located in northwestern Taiwan. It is the most populous city in Taiwan Province not among the special municipalities, with estimated 450,655 inhabi ...

counties, the and

Taoyuan Plateau The Taoyuan Plateau () is a plateau located in northern Taiwan. It borders the Linkou Plateau in the northeast, the Hsuehshan Range in the southeast, the Hsinchu Hills in the south, and the Taiwan Strait in the west. In order to irrigate this ...

s, the

Taipei Basin The Taipei Basin () is a geographic region in northern Taiwan. It is the largest basin in Taiwan. The basin is bounded by the Yangmingshan to the north, the Linkou Plateau to the west, and the Ridge of Xueshan Range to the southeast. The shape ...

, and the

Yilan Plain Yilan Plain (), also called the Lanyang Plain (), or historically Kabalan (), Kapsulan (), Komalan () is a plain in Yilan County, Taiwan. The plain has an alluvial fan which formed by Lanyang River. The plain was formed in the shape of nearly ...

. The vegetables grown in these areas consist of

kale Kale (), or leaf cabbage, belongs to a group of cabbage (''Brassica oleracea'') cultivars grown for their edible leaves, although some are used as ornamentals. Kale plants have green or purple leaves, and the central leaves do not form a head ...

mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, seeds of the mustard p ...

Chinese cabbage Chinese cabbage (''Brassica rapa'', subspecies ''pekinensis'' and ''chinensis'') can refer to two cultivar groups of leaf vegetables often used in Chinese cuisine: the Pekinensis Group (napa cabbage) and the Chinensis Group (bok choy). These ...

, wengtsai,

celery Celery (''Apium graveolens'') is a marshland plant in the family Apiaceae that has been cultivated as a vegetable since antiquity. Celery has a long fibrous stalk tapering into leaves. Depending on location and cultivar, either its stalks, lea ...

cucumber Cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated Vine#Horticultural climbing plants, creeping vine plant in the Cucurbitaceae family that bears usually cylindrical Fruit, fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.

yucca ''Yucca'' is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40–50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flo ...

winter melon ''Benincasa hispida'', the wax gourd, also called ash gourd, white gourd, winter gourd, winter melon, tallow gourd, ash pumpkin, Chinese preserving melon is a vine grown for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable when mature. It is the o ...

pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...

eggplant Eggplant ( US, Canada), aubergine ( UK, Ireland) or brinjal (Indian subcontinent, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. ''Solanum melongena'' is grown worldwide for its edible fruit. Mos ...

, red bean,

pea The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the flowering plant species ''Pisum sativum''. Each pod contains several peas, which can be green or yellow. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and d ...

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

es,

radish The radish (''Raphanus raphanistrum'' subsp. ''sativus'') is an Eating, edible root vegetable of the family Brassicaceae that was domesticated in Asia prior to Roman Empire, Roman times. Radishes are grown and consumed throughout the world, be ...

es,

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...

taro Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Africa ...

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...

leek The leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of ''Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek ( syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a stem or stalk. The genus ''Alli ...

, and

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

. Vegetables are typically planted in rotation with rice, and their seasons do not coincide. The major agricultural exports from Taiwan include

paddy rice A paddy field is a flooded field of arable land used for growing semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in southern China, associated with pre-Aust ...

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

, cloud apples, and

References

# Huang, Tseng-chieng, ed. (2000)
''Flora of Taiwan''
(2nd ed.). Taipei, Taiwan: Editorial Committee of the Flora of Taiwan, Second Edition. . # Li, Hui-Lin (1963-01-01). ''Woody flora of Taiwan.'' Narberth, Pa.,. #
"電子書台灣植物誌第二版 Flora of Taiwan, 2nd edition 1: 1 - Plants of Taiwan 台灣植物資訊整合查詢系統"
''tai2.ntu.edu.tw''. Retrieved 2017-04-21. #
", , , 臺灣大學數位人文研究中心 (Research Center for Digital Humanities), , , "
''www.digital.ntu.edu.tw''. Retrieved 2017-04-21. ;Notes {{Asia topic, Flora of Flora of Taiwan Florae (publication)

Agricultural Flora of Taiwan

See also

References