Abstract:Objective:To substantiate the effects of space condition on medicinal plants.Method:The seeds of medicinal plant Carthamus tinctorius were carried on board a retrievable satellite during 3~18 July,1994.After returning to earth,the seeding rate,state of growth and development were observed.Result:The seeding rates,plant heights and branch quantities of weightless seeds and the seeds which were penetrated once and less than once by the heavy ion rays were higher than those of the seeds which were kept on earth,but these indexes of the seeds which were penetrated 2~3 times by the heavy ion rays were higher than those of the ground controlled seeds.Conclusion:Weightlessness and little penetration promote the growth and development of Carthamus tinctorius,but much penetration functions the other way round.