New atlas brings nation's largest plant family to book

The Atlas of Native Orchids in China, an outstanding book that introduces a total of 157 genera and 1,026 orchid species in China, was published in 2019. "It gave me a clearer vision of the format I wanted for the future atlas of Compositae," he said.

The Atlas of Compositae Plants in China is a panoramic record of the latest taxonomic research on China's Compositae plants. It stands as a foundational, authoritative work for the conservation and development of plant resources, taxonomy, and biodiversity studies. The catalogue of the book documents all genera and species of Compositae plants distributed in the country, each entry backed by countless hours of field research and rigorous verification, Chen said.

The English edition of Flora of China (volume 20-21), published in 2011, had already provided a comprehensive look at the Compositae family. Since then, Chen said, nearly 160 new Compositae species and 80 new recorded species have been reported. "These new additions are all included in our book," he said.

One of the most remarkable aspects of this atlas is its inclusion of high-definition photographs for 279 genera and 1,830 species (including 23 subspecies or varieties) of Compositae plants. These images span diverse landscapes, from mountains and plains to wetlands and deserts, with precise county-level location information for each species.

"Every photo featured in the atlas is accompanied by the photographer's name and location details, typically down to the county level," Chen said. "This inclusion allows readers to quickly identify specific species based on their geographic distribution, which is particularly useful for species with limited ranges. Moreover, this setup ensures ease of reference for any future updates to the publication."