The flora of North Korea has much in common with that of other areas of the northern hemisphere. 2898 species have been recorded, of which 14% are endemic. Four are classified as threatened. The native plant communities in the lowlands have largely disappeared with cultivation and urbanisation, and the native

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

forest communities are located in the highlands. The forest types are mainly subarctic (

boreal Boreal may refer to: Climatology and geography *Boreal (age), the first climatic phase of the Blytt-Sernander sequence of northern Europe, during the Holocene epoch *Boreal climate, a climate characterized by long winters and short, cool to mild ...

) and cool-temperate forest. ''

Pinus densiflora ''Pinus densiflora'', also called the Japanese red pine, the Japanese pine, or Korean red pine, is a species of pine tree native to East Asia. Distribution and habitat ''P. densiflora'' has a home range that includes Japan, the Korean Peninsula, ...

'' dominates coniferous forests across

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

, and has also increased in abundance in areas altered by human impact. The main

botanic garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

in North Korea is the Central Botanical Garden, established in 1959. It is located at the base of Mount Taesong in

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

. Three

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

are so distinctive they have been classified in their own monotypic genera. The endangered '' Pentactina rupicola'' of the family

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are ''Alchemilla'' (270), ''Sorbus ...

is found only near the summit of Mount Geumgang in Kangwon Province. The only member of its genus, its relationships have been unclear, though molecular testing suggests its closest relative is the North American genus ''

Petrophytum ''Petrophytum'' ( orth. var. ''Petrophyton'') is a small genus of plants in the rose family known as the rock spiraeas or rockmats. These are low mat-forming shrubs which send up erect stems bearing spike inflorescences of flowers. The brushy f ...

''. '' Abeliophyllum distichum'' is a critically endangered plant from the central Korean peninsula. It too belongs to a genus of which it is the sole member. From Korea it has been introduced to

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

in England and North America, as well as being cultivated in North Korea. '' Sophora koreensis'' was also classified in its own genus, ''Echinosophora'' but has since been found to lie within the genus ''

Sophora ''Sophora'' is a genus of about 45 species of small trees and shrubs in the pea family Fabaceae. The species have a pantropical distribution. The generic name is derived from ''sophera'', an Arabic name for a pea-flowered tree. The genus formerl ...

'' genetically.

References

{{Asia topic, Flora of Environment of North Korea