﻿PLANTS 
  OF 
  CHINA 
  — 
  WALKER 
  337 
  

  

  the 
  desert 
  and 
  grasslands 
  of 
  Mongolia, 
  including 
  the 
  Ordos 
  Desert 
  in 
  

   the 
  great 
  bend 
  of 
  the 
  Yellow 
  River. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  region 
  of 
  rather 
  se- 
  

   vere 
  winters 
  and 
  adequate, 
  but 
  not 
  extremely 
  abundant, 
  rainfall. 
  

   The 
  climate 
  is 
  greatly 
  influenced 
  by 
  the 
  monsoon 
  winds, 
  although 
  less 
  

   so 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  regions 
  farther 
  south, 
  and 
  is 
  not 
  extremely 
  continental, 
  

   us 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  Mongolia 
  and 
  of 
  central 
  and 
  northern 
  Asia. 
  

  

  The 
  characteristic 
  plants 
  are 
  broadleaved 
  deciduous 
  Temperate 
  

   Zone 
  trees 
  and 
  shrubs, 
  the 
  genera 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  mostly 
  familiar 
  to 
  

   people 
  of 
  eastern 
  North 
  America, 
  such 
  as 
  oak, 
  maple, 
  birch, 
  beech, 
  ash, 
  

   walnut, 
  elm, 
  willow, 
  etc. 
  There 
  are 
  many 
  conifers, 
  such 
  as 
  larch, 
  

   spruce, 
  fir, 
  and 
  pine, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  less 
  abundance 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  

   higher 
  mountains. 
  Bamboos 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  northern 
  Korea. 
  In 
  Man- 
  

   churia 
  and 
  northeastern 
  Asia 
  occurs 
  that 
  gorgeous 
  phenomenon 
  of 
  

   autumn 
  leaf 
  coloration, 
  so 
  familiar 
  to 
  us 
  in 
  the 
  northeastern 
  United 
  

   States 
  and 
  Canada, 
  but 
  occurring 
  nowhere 
  else 
  in 
  the 
  world 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  

   degree. 
  

  

  Throughout 
  most 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  in 
  China 
  proper 
  the 
  trees 
  now 
  

   occur 
  singly 
  or 
  in 
  small 
  groves. 
  Originally 
  great 
  forests 
  extended 
  

   almost 
  unbroken, 
  though 
  changing 
  in 
  constitution, 
  from 
  Manchuria 
  

   and 
  even 
  farther 
  north, 
  all 
  the 
  way 
  down 
  through 
  eastern 
  China 
  to 
  

   the 
  tropical 
  jungles. 
  There 
  remain 
  today 
  large 
  forests 
  in 
  northern 
  

   Korea 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  mountainous 
  parts 
  of 
  Manchuria. 
  These 
  

   forests 
  furnish 
  much 
  valuable 
  timber 
  for 
  use 
  in 
  northern 
  China 
  and 
  

   even 
  for 
  export 
  to 
  Japan 
  and 
  elsewhere. 
  Until 
  about 
  30 
  years 
  ago 
  

   there 
  were 
  some 
  magnificent 
  forests 
  east, 
  west, 
  and 
  north 
  of 
  Peip- 
  

   ing, 
  which 
  were 
  saved 
  by 
  the 
  emperors 
  for 
  hunting 
  preserves; 
  but, 
  

   with 
  the 
  passing 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  imperial 
  dynasty 
  and 
  the 
  uncontrolled 
  

   pressure 
  of 
  the 
  population 
  for 
  forest 
  resources, 
  these 
  have 
  rapidly 
  

   dwindled 
  to 
  almost 
  nothing. 
  In 
  Shansi 
  has 
  occurred 
  the 
  same 
  phe- 
  

   nomenon 
  ; 
  the 
  once 
  great 
  forests 
  on 
  Wu 
  Tai 
  Shan 
  described 
  in 
  early 
  

   Chinese 
  literature 
  have 
  steadily 
  dwindled 
  till 
  now 
  there 
  is 
  almost 
  

   nothing 
  left. 
  The 
  tragic 
  story 
  of 
  this 
  mountain 
  has 
  been 
  ably 
  told 
  

   by 
  W. 
  C. 
  Lowdermilk 
  and 
  Dean 
  R. 
  Wickes 
  under 
  the 
  title 
  "History 
  

   of 
  Soil 
  Use 
  in 
  the 
  Wu 
  T'ai 
  Shan 
  Area." 
  * 
  This 
  account, 
  prepared 
  in 
  

   connection 
  with 
  our 
  own 
  Government's 
  soil 
  conservation 
  efforts, 
  was 
  

   traced 
  largely 
  from 
  the 
  records 
  found 
  in 
  various 
  Chinese 
  works. 
  

  

  In 
  north-central 
  Shensi, 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  loess-filled 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Wei 
  

   Ho 
  and 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  loess 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  province, 
  

   are 
  some 
  forests 
  of 
  pine, 
  birch, 
  and 
  poplar, 
  which 
  might 
  be 
  considered 
  

   as 
  belonging 
  to 
  this 
  floristic 
  region. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  reported 
  that 
  in 
  this 
  

   wild 
  area, 
  partly 
  denuded 
  in 
  earlier 
  years, 
  the 
  forests 
  returned 
  to 
  some 
  

   extent 
  after 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  population 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  Moham- 
  

  

  1 
  Published 
  as 
  a 
  monograph 
  issued 
  under 
  the 
  auspices 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  China 
  Branch 
  of 
  the 
  

   Royal 
  Asiatic 
  Society, 
  31 
  pp., 
  illustrated, 
  1938. 
  

  

  