| Research Abstract |
In this scientific reseach, we investigated the relation between limestone vegetation and the nature of its substrate rocks,from the field survey and the chemical analysis of characteristic species. The field surveys were made at following six limestone areas; Hitoyoshi dist. in Kumamoto Pref., Bitchu dist. in Okayama Pref., Toga dist. in Toyama Pref., Hitachi dist. in Ibaragi Pref., Okutama dist. in Tokyo and Chichibu dist. in Saitama Prif. We recognized the following limestone endemic plant communities in these limestone areas; Spiraeetum nipponicae ass. nov., Spiraea nervosum comm., Polystichum craspedosorum comm., Salci-Betuletum chichibuensis ass. nov., Irido-Berchemietum berchemiaefolia ass. nov., Torreyo-Buxetum microphyllae japonicae ass. nov., Torreyo-Cyclobalanopsietum salicinae, Nandino-Cyclobalanopsietum glaucae, Zabelio-Carpinetum turczaninovii and the other twelve plant communities.
We studied also the relation between the amounts of ten chemical elements, such as Ca, K, Mg, Na, Si, Al, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn in 45 selected vascular plants and the amounts present in their substrate rocks. The fifty-five samples of the 45 taxa were used for the present chemical analysis. The 45 taxa treated in this chemical analysis were selected from the three groups; calciphilous (Pteris deltodon, Betula chichibuensis, Spiraea nervosa, Abelia integrifolia, Rhamnus yoshinoi and the other twelve species), calciphobous (Woodsia manchuriensis, Rhododendron brachycarpum, Trochodendron aralioides var, longifolium and the other eight species), and indifferent (Hakonechloa macra,Quercus glauca,Symplocos lancifolia and the other seventeen species).
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