Geographic Distribution Characteristics of the National Key Protected Medicinal Plants in China

125 species of medicinal plants were collected as the national key protected medicinal plants in China from present literatures. The results show that. The floristic elements are relatively complex of the national key protected medicinal plants in China, and there are 15 distribution zones and 4 variable types,which was widely distributed in plant kingdom. In horizontal distribution, the number of 46 to 60 species in Sichuan province was the most, the number of 16 to 30 species and 31 to 45 species' administrative province are 14 and 13 respectively, accounting for 43.75% and 40.63%. The numbers of the national key protected medicinal plants present a opening down parabola, and the highest peak was basically concentrated in the 800 to 1 400 m range, whose numbers of the national key protected medicinal plants are from 48 to 52. The ratio of perennial herbs in medicical plants was most, accounting for 69.6%. And the ratio of root-like or rootstalk-like in the national key protected medicinal plants in China was most, accounting for 56%. The protection of the national key protected medicinal plants in China shoud be strengthened, especially for rare and endangered wildlife species.