Investigation And Utilization Of The Colorful Tree Germplasm Resource In Shanghai

Multicolour Leaf Trees are refered to those,of which the colour of leaves are different to green but appear red,purple and golden and have rather high values of ornament. The study on introduction of multicolour leaf trees have been carried out in Shanghai since 2000, and the project of "Spring Scenery and Autumn Colour" has been implemented to popularize multicolour trees of arbors and arborets since 2005.The introductive siduations of multicolour trees in plant nurseries and seedling basts in the outskirts of Shanghai, including Baoshan District, Songjiang District, Jiading District, Minhang District , Nanhui Distyict , New Pudong District , Fengxian District , Jinshan District , Qingpu Distyict and Chongming County , were investigated in this study . The amounts of various multicolour leaf trees in each district were recorded and summed and at the same time the resources of species and the properties of the introduced trees in the forestry vegetation of Shanghai were studied , so as to provide a scientific basis for the use of multicolour trees.The main results of the study are as follows.1. The definition of the multicolour leaf tree was concretely elaborated, and from the use of garden , the classification of multicolour leaf olants was made based on the properties of the change of the colour of leaf. The view point of the classification of multicolour trees , which can be divided as spring colour leaf trees , autumn colour leaf trees and normal colour leaf trees, was put forward.2. 20 varieties of multicolour leaf tree were introduced from overseas between 2000 to 2005 in Shanghai, which including Acer platanoides , Acer rubrum etc. , the local species are mainly 7 varieties , which inclouding Cotinus coggyggria Scop . Salix Integra Hahuro Nishiki and Liquidarmbar formosana Hance etc. . The multicolour leaf trees in the outskirts of Shanghai in present years are mainly arbors and arborets, and 30 species were planted more than 6670m2 , which belong to 9 families of Acer , Berberis , Ligustium , Aucuba , Rhus, Ginkgo, Altingia, Magnolia and Quercus and are about 20% of the total species in the rural areas. The colour of the leaves are mostly red or purple red .3. The principles and forms of the allocation of multicolour leaf trees in gardens were theoretically studied . In the use of garden , multicolour leaf plants have more lasting appreciative effects than plants for flower . In the allocation of multicolour leaf trees, not only the biological properties , ecological habits and appreciative characteristics , but also the factors of artistic qulities , such as the seasonal scenes and colour of aesthetics , contrast and integration , prosody and rhythm and the display of artistic mood must been consided . Finally the opinion of the developing prospect of the multicolour leaf trees in China was put forward by the comparison of Scene making property of the multicolour leaf trees used in Shanghai.