Abstract:Three bamboo floras of East China were investigated in Tianmushan Mountains (on the border between Zhejiang and Anhui Provinces), Huangshan Mountains (in the south of Anhui), and Dabieshan Mountains (in the border area of Henan, Hubei and Anhui Provinces), which include 10 genera with 75 species, 8 genera 49 species, and 7 genera 30 species, respectively. Areal type analysis of genus and species elements indicates that the bamboo floras in three mountains are markedly subtropical in nature and can be recognized as important part of bamboo flora of East China, however, the flora of Dabieshan Mountains reveals a transitional character having certain amount of elements of Central China. Based on a priliminary inference made from geologic history, modem distribution pattern of bamboos and principle of historical phytogeography, the bamboo floras of Tianmushan Mountains and Huangshan Mountains originated not later than the Eocene epoch of the Paleogene period, and earlier than that for Dabieshan Mountains. Most of the species of genera Phyllostachys and Brachystachyum, with primitive taxa, have been found in Tianmushan Mountains where geochronology is quite age-old and relatively stable in geological structure, which shows the mountains can be considered as differentiation centre and possible origin centre of these two genera. phyllostachys extended it distribution sea radially from the origin caster to subtropical China, while Brachystachyum had four distribution routes: the east route ran to E aid SE Zhejiang, the south to the a part of Nanling Mountains, the west to Jiangxi, aid the north to E Anhui The relationships among the three bamboo floras are discussed.
