肯尼亚常见植物_14530623.pdf

PrefaceHikingalong the Naro Moru Track on the western side of Mt.Kenya.I was astonished by the spectacularlandscape with ever-changing vegetation,from dry woodland to Podocarpus forest,followedby bamboo thickets,heath zone and moorland.When I reached above 3,500 m alt.,giant lobelias and Dendroseneciofinally came into sight,which were more massive and majestic than I have ever imagined.For an 80-year-old man likeme,that moment took my breath away(oh well,perhaps partially due to high-mountain anoxia).Thanks to Dr.Qing-Feng WANG,the chief of Sino-Africa Joint Research Center and a senior botanist,who invited me to join the fieldinvestigation at the top of Kenya,I finally got the chance to personally see all the vegetation types and plant speciesI have spent almost my whole life researching on.During the investigation,I was amazed not only by the rich andendemic plants in Kenya,but also by the peoples enthusiasm in conserving biodiversity in Africa,and above all,by theremarkable understanding and close cooperation between Chinese and African scientists on research and innovation,boosted by Chinese governmentsgo-globalstrategy.Kenya lies on the east coast of Africa,transected by the equator and the Great Rift Valley,forming the famousEast Africa Cross.Influenced by the geographical factors,such as topography,climate,soil property,and humanactivities,the vegetation is diverse in community type and rich in species composition.Since 2009,Qing-Fengsteam have launched the international research on the plant diversity in Kenya and conducted a series of collaborativeinvestigations,which achieved fruitful outcomes and accumulated firsthand materials with the aim of a colored Floraof Kenya in the near future.It is my great pleasure to note that Qing-Feng and his collaborators are publishing their first book CommonPlants of Kenya in colors,which nicely sums up their recent work and also marks an outset of a series of scientificcollaborations and publications.The book has a collection of more than 600 common and ornamental plant speciesfrom more than 130 families in Kenya,each with detailed description,habitat properties,and close-up original photos.There are four sections in this book,namely lycophytes,monilophytes,gymnosperms and angiosperms.Within each,thefamilies are arranged based on the newest molecular evidence,while genera and species are in alphabetical order.Afterreading the book myself,I am delighted that the book is aiming at both scientific community and popular audiences,which makes the science part rigorous and the popularity part artistic.With no doubt,this book is going to open a doorto whoever is interested in appreciating and deciphering the nature of Africa.De-Yuan HONGScientific Adviser for Flora of KenyaPresident Emeritus of Botanical Society of ChinaAcademician of the Chinese Academy of SciencesPreface 001