Abstract:There are 1 order 3 families 11 genera about 180 species of living cycads which are mainly distributed over tropics and subtropics in the world. Mexico, West Indian Islands,Australia, Southern America and S. E. Asia are thier distributional centres. But there are
only 1 family 1 genus(Cycas) with about 13 species which scattered in Yunnan(+7 spp. ), Guangxi(+3 Spp. ), Sichuan(2 spp. ), Guangdong(1 spp), Hainan(1 sp. ), Fujian (1. sp),Guizhou (+1 sp. ) and Taiwan(1 sp. ) in China.
Since eycads are favourite gardening trees for their elegant appearance. Large quantities of wild cycads were dug up and a lot of habitats of cycads were destroyed especially in early 1980‘s in China. It is pressed for time to conserve endangered cycads.
According to China Red Data Book Cycas micholitzii and Cycas panzhihuaensis were listed as Grade 2, while Cycas pectinata, Cycas siamensis, Cycas taiwaniana as Grade 3 protected plants. Three reserves have been set for the protection of Cycas panzhihuaensis and Cycas taitungensis in China. They are the Panzhihua Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, the Puduhe Natural Reserve, Luquan, Yunnan Province and the Taitung Hong-yeh Village Taitung Cycas Nature Reserve.
However, ex situ conservation of cycads in China does not seem satisfactory. Many
botanical gardens introduced cycads in China just for supplementary collection. But Shenzhen
Fairy Lake Botanical Garden (SFL) is devoting herself much to cycads ex situ conservation.
The climate of Shenzhen with annual average tempreture 22.1℃, annual average rain-fall 1992.2mm, the diverse microhabitats of the garden for its hilly terrain fit growth of cycads very much. SFL begun to introduce cycads in 1988 for its cycad collection and decided to prepare cycads ex situ conservation center last year. More than 50 idividuals each species from various wild population are needed in general and a data base of cycads is building in the
garden. This project has been practising in three periods as follows:
1. Collecting Period from 1992 to 1994, became the largest ex situ conservation centre of cycads in China with 0.8 hectare and more than 80 species.
2. Enriching Period from 1995 to 1996, tries to become one of the largest ex situ conservation centers of cycads in Asia with 1.2 hectares and more than 120 species.
3. Research Period till 1997, tries to become one of the largest ex situ conservation and research centres of cycads in the world with 2 hectares and more than 150 species and a large
cycad herbarium and laboratory.