Naturally Colonized Plants of Coalmine Wasteland in Mingshan, Meizhou, Guangdong

Using field investigation and quadrat method,a study was conducted on the vegetation and flora of the coalmine wasteland in Mingshan Mountain,Meizhou,Guangdong.There are 64 species of naturally colonized plants on the wasteland,which belong to 30 families and 59 genera.The main families are Gramineae(10 species),Compositae(7 species),Leguminosae(5 species).Among all the colonized plants,there are 29 annual and biennial herbs,13 perennial herbs,4 lianas and 18 woody plants.The vegetation on the coalmine wasteland was distributed on spot piece and scattered with simple structure and low species diversity.Wind-dispersal seeds and fruits are the main resource of propagules in the wasteland.Miscanthus floridulus,Crotalaria mucronata and Artemisia argyi could colonize successfully and were dominant species in the vegetation that could be used for vegetation restoration in the coalmine wasteland.There was a community succession tendency from grass to mixed grass-shrub and then to shrub community,and species richness and diversity index coincided with this succession.The aspect and slope of wasteland are important factors affecting plant colonization.