Taibai Mountains, located at the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains, are composed of the Yuan Taibai Mountain (also known as East Taibai Mountain), Aoshan Mountain (also known as West Taibai Mountain) and their connection part. With its complex geographical and climatic conditions, Taibai Mountains are extremely rich in wild plant resources. Based on field investigation, literature review and specimen identification, wild vascular plants resources and their diversity in Taibai Mountains were studied by the sixth Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Resources Scientific Expedition Team of Shenyang Pharmaceutical University. 222 species of vascular plants belonging to 163 genera and 63 families were collected during July 2012 in this area, and most of the plants are angiosperms. The families with more species are Liliaceae, Ranunculaceae, Asteraceae, Rosaceae, and Saxifragaceae, and the dominant genus are Aconitum, Sedum, Eleutherococcus, Pedicularis, Polygonatum, and Patrinia. In terms of life form, perennial herbs are the main species, accounting for 72.97% of the total species, with others being some annual (or biennial) herbs, shrubs and lianas. Among all the collected vascular plants, 170 species of them are medicinal vascular plants, accounting for 76.58% of the total. Most of the medicinal parts are roots and rhizomes, followed by the whole plants. Finally, on the basis of investigation and study, some suggestions are put forward to strengthen the protection and utilization of plant resources in Taibai Mountains.
