Abstract
The present studwas undertaken to classify and describe the riverside vegetation around Hanchon (36°27’-36°51’N, 128°15’-128°37’E), a tributary in the upper stream area of Nak-tong River, South Korea by methods of the ZM school of phytosociology. As a result the vegetation was divided into twenty three associations and communities belonging to ten classes. Reflecting various human impacts in the past, the associations and communities of the Artemisietea principis were most plentiful there. The vegetation units obtained in the present study were as follows: A. forest vegetation A-1 Fagetea crenatae:Zelkova serrata community, Larix leptolepis community; B. Shrub vegetation B-1 Salicetea sachalinensis:Salicetum gracilistylae, Salicetum graciliglandis assoc. nov., B-2 Rosetea sachalinensis:Salicetum gracilistylae, Salicetum graciliglandis assoc. nov., B-2 Rosetea multiflorae:Stephanandra incisa community, Lycium chinense community; C. Grassland vegetation C-1 Lemnetea minoris:Spirodela polyrhiza-Lemna paucicostata community, C-2 Bidentetea tripartiti:Polygonetum thunbergii, Polygonetum sieboldii-hydropiperis, Panico Polygonetum hydropiperis, Pharagmitetea :Oenantho- Phalaridetum arundinaceae, Phragmitetum japonicae, Miscanthetum sacchariflori, Phragmites australis community, C-4 Artemisietea principis:Artemisia princeps community, Impatiens textori community, Lactuco indicae-Humuletum japonicae, Pueraria lobata-Humulus japonicus community, Pennisetum alopecuroides community, C-5 chenopodietea:Echinochloa crus-galli var. orizicola community, Digitaria adsecendens community, Polygonum nodosum community, C-6 Miscanthetea sinensis: Miscanthus sinensis community, C-7 Plantaginetea:Eragrotis multicaulis-Plantago asiatica community. It is inferred that the endemic vegetation units in the riverside vegetation of Korea are very rare, because most of the vegetation units obtained in the present study are common with those of Japan. Among the above vegetation units, the Salicetum graciliglandis was established as a new association. On the other hand, the associations and communities of classes characterizing the riverside vegetation increased with a decrease of human impacts from the downstream to the upstream in Hanchon, while the number of the naturalized plants was the reverse. Also based on the present phytosociological work, the relation between the vegetation units and their environmental conditions and the restoration ecology and nature conservation of the riverside vegetation were discussed here in detail.