Study on Biology and Ecology of Rare Tree Acer miaotaiense

Acer miaotaiense is a third-grade nationally protected plant in China. It was originally recorded as sporadically distributed in a few areas of the western section of the Qin ling Mountains. In recent years, a wild population of Acer miaotaiense was discovered for the first time in the Fu Niu Mountains of Henan Province. This discovery has refined and corrected the delineation of the distribution range of this species in China over the past half-century, and it is of great significance for research on its origin, resource protection, and cultivation techniques. The morphological characteristics and biological traits of Acer miaotaiense were observed and described, and its wild populations were investigated. The results show that the species has stringent habitat requirements. Although it is one of the dominant species in the surveyed community, its age structure is extremely incomplete, and the population shows a trend of gradual decline. This paper also explores the reasons for the endangerment of Acer miaotaiense and proposes conservation strategies.