Abstract:
Sichuan is an area of exceptional richness in spermatophyte diversity. According to field investigations and literature reviews, there are
3931 species of wild woody spermatophyte in Sichuan Region, belonging to 128 families and 515 genera. Based on the theoretical research results of China's flora, a statistical analysis was conducted on the areal types of families and genera of woody spermatophyte. The results show that all families were classified into 10 areal types and 11 subtypes, among which tropical families accounted for 61.3%, temperate families 37.7%, and there was 1 family endemic to China. Tropical families held an absolute advantage and had extensive connections with tropical Africa, tropical America, and tropical Asia; temperate families were mainly composed of components from the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. All genera were classified into 15 areal types and 18 subtypes, with tropical genera accounting for 50.91% and temperate genera 41.03%, indicating that Sichuan Region is an intersection area of tropical and temperate flora, with tropical genera being dominant. Among all species, tropical species accounted for38.15% and temperate species60.2%, with temperate species being the majority. Consequently, the fundamental nature of the woody spermatophyte flora in Sichuan is subtropical, representing a transition from tropical to temperate zones. The proportion of families, genera, and species with East Asian distribution types was also relatively high. This paper conducts a comparative analysis of the composition, areal types of floristic regions, and endemic Chinese taxa of Sichuan's woody spermatophyte against historical literature, discusses the ensuing changes, and provides perspectives on future research directions and priorities for the study of this flora.