The bryophyte flora of Hunan Province, China

Timo koponen & sinikka piippo

The project “The bryophyte flora of Hunan Province of China began in 1997 when Prof. Timo Koponen was invited to visit the Forestry Department of Hunan Province and to carry out bryological field research.

He was accompanied by students from the University of Helsinki, and by participants from the Forestry Department of Hunan Province. During the visit cooperation between the Forestry Department of Hunan Province and the Division of Systematic Biology was discussed, and a memorandum was agreed and signed. Timo Koponen participated the second and third research and collecting trips in 1998 and 1999. Two more excursions were made in 2000 and 2001. In addition to bryologists, some lichenologists and mycologists participated. At the same time these excursions were also research and education trips for some researchers and students of the University of Helsinki and of the Forestry Department of Hunan Province.

The objectives of the project were:

The first objective is to study the bryological diversity of the bryophyte flora of Hunan. This is a three-phase task:

1. To prepare a checklist based on all previous knowledge of the bryophytes. – A checklist of bryophytes was the first publication of the project. Checklists were compiled for the adjoining provinces Jianxi and Hubei.
2. To carry out field studies and to collect new material, identify it and add to the existing knowledge; as a result the distribution of the taxa, how common they are, and their habitat ecology become known. – About 15000 bryophyte specimens were collected during the excursions. In our publications the habitat ecology and the total frequency in Hunan are given. The frequency in man-made, disturbed and primeval sites are given separately and the distribution in Hunan recorded by altitudinal maps.
3. To prepare and publish studies on the Hunanese bryophyte flora, the final aim being a published manual of mosses and hepatics so that these plants can be identified. – Until now 11 studies have been published in the Hunan series (see below).

The second objective is the practical use of the  accumulated knowledge. This includes

- popularizing booklets dealing with the bryophytes.
- guide books for the purposes of ecotourism; the cryptogam flora of conserved areas can be added when it becomes known.

The third objective is to train the members of Forest Botanical Garden and teach them the methods of bryological research, and help them to establish a bryophyte herbarium, which is completely lacking in Hunan. – Some Hunanese young researchers later stayed in Helsinki and participated on the study of the specimens collected in Hunan, and one of them, P.-C. Rao, made his dissertation in Helsinki. The duplicates of the bryophytes published in the first part of the Hunan series (see below) were already mailed to the herbarium of Forestry Department of Hunan Province, and second set on duplicates is under preparation.

Processing moss specimens in Hunan, China

Publications (only a selection)

Fang, Y.-M., Enroth, J., Koponen, T. & Piippo, S. 1998: The bryophytes in Jiangxi  Province, China: An annotated Checklist. — Hikobia 12: 343–363.

Koponen, T. & Piippo, S. 2007: Bryophyte biodiversity in Hunan Province, China. — Chenia 9: 39–49.

Peng, C., Enroth, J., Koponen, T. & Piippo, S. 2000: The bryophytes of Hubei Province, China: An annotated checklist. — Hikobia 13: 195–211.

Rao, P. 2001: Monographic studies on Cryphaea (Bryopsida). — Bryobrothera 7: 1–35. (Academic dissertation).

Rao, P.-C., Enroth, J., Piippo, S. & Koponen, T. 1997: The bryophytes of  Hunan Province, China: An annotated checklist. — Hikobia 12:181–203.

Series “Bryophyte flora of Hunan Province”

1.         Koponen, T., Enroth, J., Fang, Y.-M., Huttunen, S., Hyvönen, J., Ignatov, M., Juslén, A., Lai, M.-J., Piippo, S., Potemkin, A. & Rao, P. 2000: Bryophyte flora of Hunan Province, China. 1. Bryophytes from Mangshan Nature Reserve and Wulingyuan Global Cultural Heritage Area. — Ann. Bot. Fennici 37: 11–39.

2.         Potemkin, A. 2000: Bryophyte flora of Hunan Province, China. 2. Scapania koponenii, species nova. —  Ann. Bot. Fennici 37: 41–44.

3.         Koponen, T., Cao, T.,  Huttunen, S., Juslén, A., Peng, C., Piippo, S., Rao, P., Váňa, J. & Virtanen, V. 2004: Bryophyte flora of Hunan Province, China. 3. Bryophytes from Taoyuandong and Yankou Nature Reserves, and Badagonshan and Hupingshan National Nature Reserves, with additions to floras of Mang-shan Nature Reserve and Wulingyuan Global Cultural Heritage Area. — Acta. Bot. Fennica 177: 1–47.

4.         Potemkin, A. D., Piippo, S. & Koponen, T. 2003: Bryophyte flora of Hunan Province, China 4. Diplophyllaceae and Scapaniaceae (Hepaticae). — Ann. Bot. Fennici 41: 415–427.

5.         Ignatov, M. S., Huttunen, S. & Koponen, T. 2004: Bryophyte flora of Hunan Province, China. 5. Brachytheciaceae (Musci), with an overview of Eurhynchiadelphus and Rhynchostegiella in SE Asia. — Acta Bot. Fennica 178: 1–56.

6.         Váňa, J., Piippo, S.  & Koponen, T. 2004:  Bryophyte flora of the Hunan Province. 6. Jungermanniaceae and Gymnomitriaceae (Hepaticae). —  Acta Bot. Fennica 178: 57–78.

7.         Juslén, A. 2004: Bryophyte flora of the Hunan Province. 7. Herbertus (Herbertaceae, Hepaticae). —  Ann. Bot Fennici 41: 393–404.

8.         Enroth, J. & Koponen, T. 2004: Bryophyte flora of Hunan Province, China. 8. Additions to the checklist. — Hikobia 14: 79–86.

9.         Huttunen, S. 2004:  Bryophyte flora of Hunan Province, China. 9. Meteoriaceae (Musci) I. Chrysocladium, Duthiella, Meteorium, Pseudospiridentopsis, Sinskea, Toloxis, and Trachypodopsis, with identification key for Meteoriaceae in Hunan. — Publ. Bot. Univ. Helsinki 34: 1–34.
10.       Guo, S.-L., Enroth, J. &. Virtanen, V. 2004: Bryophyte flora of Hunan Province, China. 10. Ulota gymnostoma sp. nova (Orthotrichaceae). — Ann. Bot. Fennici 41: 459–463.

11.       Guo, S.-L., Enroth, J. & Koponen, T. 2007: Bryophyte flora of Hunan Province, China. 11. Orthotrichaceae (Musci). — Ann. Bot. Fennici 44 Supplement a: 1–34.

                      (Several families already identified, e.g. Mniaceae, Bartramiaceae)