中国植物志

Preface

Introduction

Acknowledgments

Fabaceae dou ke

List of Nomenclatural Novelties Published in this Volume of the Flora of China

Index to Chinese Names

Index to Pinyin Names

Index to Scientific Names

Index to Families in the Flora of China and the Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae

Published Volumes of the Flora of China and the Flora of China Illustrations

The Chinese flora， with an estimated 31.500species， is of immense scientific and horticulturalimportance. Noteworthy， too. is Chinese traditionalmedicine， which is based on the remarkableplant resources of the country. Descriptions andidentification keys for this diverse flora， untilnow unavailable in English， have been publishedover the past 17 years in the Flora of China.in conjunction with a separate series， the Floraof China Illustrations. Thirty-four of the total of48 text and illustration volumes have alreadybeen published， thanks to an unprecedented andlong-standing collaboration between Westernand Chinese scientists.
This volume entirely comprises the legume family（Fabaceae or Leguminosae）， with 1，673 speciesin China， of which 690 are endemic， i.e.， foundnowhere else on Earth. The legumes of China aredivided into 29 tribes， starting with the Cercideae.which include the disjunct redbuds （Cercis） andpantropicai Bauhinia， and finishing with theFabeae. which include vetches （Vicia）， vetchlings（Lathyras）. lentil （Lens culinaris）， and pea （Pisumsativum）. The largest legume genus in China isAstragalus， with 401 species 0t is also the largestgenus globally， with ca. 3.000 species）， followedby Oxytropis （133 species）， Indigofera （79 species），in which I. tinctoria and 1. suffruticosa are sourcesof the dye indigo， and Caragana （66 species）.