The Chinese flora, with an estimated 31,500 species, is of immense scientific and horticultural importance. Noteworthy, too, is Chinese traditional medicine, which is based on the remarkable plant resources of the country. Descriptions and identification keys for this diverse flora, until now unavailable in English, have been published in the Flora of China, in conjunction with a separate series, the Flora of China Illustrations.

Twenty-two plant families are described in this volume. Among these, the Araceae include taro (Colocasia esculenta) and the horticulturally important genera Amorphophallus and Arisaema; the Pandanaceae include the screw-pines (Pandanus); the Arecaceae are the palms, including the economically important betel nut (Areca catechu), coconut (Cocos nucifera), and date (Phoenix dactylifera) in addition to 77 native species, among which are the Chusan or windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) and the climbing, spiny rattans (Calamus); finally, the Cyperaceae, or sedges, comprise two-thirds of this volume and include the second largest genus in China, Carex, with 527 species.