Plant community and floristic composition of Chaiwopu Lake wetland in Xinjiang, China

Chaiwopu Lake is an important water sources and ecological barrier of Urumqi, which located in Dabancheng District of Urumqi. Recently years, due to the natural factors and the actions of human being, a series of ecological and environmental problems have been caused. Through field investigation, the composition of vascular plants, the floral geographical elements, lifeform, ecotype and the characteristic of plant community of Chaiwopu Lake wetland have been analyzed. The results showed that there are 30 families,84 genera, 122 species of vascular plants in Chaiwopu Lake wetland, including 1 pteridophyte, and 90 species in 62 genera and 23 families of dicotyledonous plant, and 31 species in 21 genera and 6 families of monocotyledonous plant. The composition of Chaiwopu Lake wetland flora of spermatophytes is simple and with typical temperate characteristic. The vegetation types of Chaiwopu Lake wetland include 20 formations. Referring the life form in Chaiwopu Lake wetland, herbage plant was main, which account for 94.2%. In all ecotype of water plant, mesophyte plants were main with 42 species, accounting for 34.4%. There are 20 plant formation in Chaiwopu Lake wetland. Form. Hordeum bogdanii, Form. Salix rosmarinifolia, Form. Phragmites australis are mainly distributed in north bank, and Form. Halostachys caspica, Form. Galatella biflora, Form. Salicornia europaea are mainly distributed in west bank, and Form. Tamarix ramosissima are only formation in east and south bank.