Abstract:One- to two-year-old seedlings of 38 woody species were potted in Wuxing (WX) and Dongcun (DC) villages near ceramic industry area in Foshan city, Guangdong Province, and in Botanical Garden in Guangzhou as control site. The experiments were carried out from June 2002 to May 2003. Injury symtoms of the leaves, leaf cast and the increment of the number of leaves, as well as the growth vigour of these species grown under air pollutants of fluoride, sulfide and acid rain were measured and compared. The results obtained from the sensitiveity of plants to the pollutants exhibited three catergories of plant species. (1) Most tolerant species include Camellia japonica, Camellia semiserrata, Ficus microcarpa var. fuyuensis, Ficus microcarpa, Osmanthus fragrans, Ficus annulata, Ficus religiosa, Tutcheria spectabilis, Actinodaphne pilosa, Heteropanax ragrans. (2) Less tolerant species are Lysidice rhodostegia, Erythrophloeum fordii, Kigelia africana, Cassia fistula, Ormosia pinnata, Manchamia cauda-felina, Artocarpus nitidus subsp. lingnamensis, Fagraea ceilanica, hex rotunda, Rapanea neriifolia, Artocarpus hypargyreus, Artocarpus styracifolius, Gordonia axillaris, Koelrcuteria bipinnata, Manglietia glauca, Machilus chinensis, Spathodea nilotica. (3) Most sensitive species include Mesua ferrea, Tsoongiodendron odorum, Aquilaria sinensis, Elaeocarpus japonicus, jacaranda mimosifolia, Heritiera parvifolia, Pterocarpus indicus, Machilus salicina, Saraca chinensis, Manglietia hainanensis, Michelia chapensis. The results could provide scientific basis for selection of plant species for urban forestry in the environments with similar air pollution in tropical and subtropical regions.
