Plants

The forest coverage rate in Shennongjia National Park is as high as over 96%. It has the most diversified altitudinal gradients of vegetation in the northern hemisphere. From low altitudes to high altitudes, its vegetation types include the evergreen broad-leaved forest, the mixed evergreen broad-leaved and deciduous broad-leaved forest, the deciduous broad-leaved forest, the mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest, the coniferous forest, alpine shrubs and meadows.

Shennongjia National Park has a high concentration of rare and endangered plant species. It is one of the three distribution centers of endemic genera of seed plants in China. There are 8 national class I protected wild plant species, i.e. Taxus wallichiana var. chinensis (Chinese Yew), Taxus wallichiana var. Mairei, Davidia involucrata (Dove tree), Ginkgo biloba, Calanthe sieboldii, Dendrobium flexicaule, Paeonia qiui and Paeonia rockii. There are 82 national class II protected wild plants as well. The national park has 4,329 species (including subspecies and cultigen) of vascular plants in 1,208 genera of 211 families. Among them, there are 356 species of pteridophytes in 78 genera of 27 families, 3,973 species of seed plants in 1,130 genera of 184 families, 258 species of bryophytes in 119 genera of 56 families, 328 species of lichens in 91 genera of 30 families, and 868 species of macro-fungi in 295 genera of 130 families. 

The flora of the seed plants in Shennongjia has 54 genera endemic to China, including 1 genus and 205 species endemic to Shennongjia. At the same time, Shennongjia is the global type location for 506 species including Cyclobalanopsis glabrifolia and Armeniaca hongpingensis (Hongping Apricot).