Survey of Wild Lilium Species in the Vicinity of the Qin-Ba Mountains, China

Wild Lilium species are widely distributed in the Northwest region of China.  They are found in an area of 5,000 square kilometers adjacent to the Qin-Ba Mountains through 40 counties in the provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Hubei and Chongqing.  To facilitate preservation, protection and utilization of these valuable germplasm resources, we conducted a survey of their geographic and altitudinal distribution and collected specimens representing different ecotypes. Their morphological characteristics in their native habitat were also recorded.  Eight species of wild Lilium - L. lancifolium, L. leucanthum, L. brownii, L. pumilum, L. duchartrei, L. leichtlinii var. maximowiczii, L. concolor and L. davidii - were found in the study area.  Wild L. leichtlinii was found for the first time on Qinling mountain.  Of the eight species, we collected 87 ecotypes, including 30 accessions of L. leucanthum.  The species varied in their altitudinal distribution: L. pumilum was found up to 2140m, L. leucanthum to 1760m, L. brownii to 650m, L. davidii to 550m and L. concolor to 460m.  L. leucanthum was the most widely distributed in the region, occurring in over 50% of the counties surveyed, followed by L. lancifolium and L. brownii (46%).  L. duchartrei was only found in a limited area of Diebu county (Gansu Province). Ecotypes were collected from native habitats varying considerably in soil salinity, pH value and organic matter content.