Abstract:

The paper aims to grasp the species of wild ground cover plants under the ancient trees of Pinus tabulaeformis and P. bungeana, and provide a basis for the ecological restoration of vegetation under the ancient trees. This study investigated the species of wild ground cover plants under the ancient trees of P. tabuliformis and P. bungeana in the Biyun Temple of Fragrant Hills Park and the Yongling Mausoleum of the Ming Tombs. The species and average height of all ground cover plants under the ancient trees, and the numbers, frequency and covered area of each species were recorded. The dominant species of ground cover plants were analyzed based on the importance value, which was calculated by the relative abundance, relative coverage, and relative frequency. The results showed that the summer dominant species under the P. tabuliformis in Biyun Temple of Fragrant Hills Park were Oplismenus undulatifolius, Carex leucochlora, Lespedeza floribunda, and Clematis brevicaudata, and the summer dominant species under the P. bungeana were Oplismenus undulatifolius and Clematis brevicaudata. The summer dominant species under the P. tabuliformis in Yongling of the Ming Tombs were Lespedeza floribunda, Vitex negundo, and Oplismenus undulatifolius, and the summer dominant species under the P. bungeana were Lespedeza floribunda, Vitex negundo, Xeridium sonchifolium, Carex leucochlora, and Ziziphus jujuba. Although there are some differences in the ground cover plants under different regions and different types of ancient forest. Oplismenus undulatifoliusc, Lespedeza floribunda and Carex leucochlora were wild dominant species which appeared in Xiangshan and Ming Tombs respectively, these three plants might be used in the restoration of ancient trees vegetation.

Key words: ground cover plants, wild ground cover, under the ancient trees, dominant species, Pinus tabulaeformis, Pinus bungeana