A Review of Mikania and the Impact of M. micrantha(Asteraceae) in Yunnan

Exotic invasive species have long been known to bring about serious damages to ecosystem,which has imposed great threats to national eco-safety.Since the late 1990s,ecological impacts caused by Mikania micrantha H.B.K.,an invasive plant species,have become the focus of different walks of society.No existing literature on M.micrantha,however,relates anything concerning its distribution in Yunnan Province.Based on field investigations and taxonomic study on the specimen collected in Kunming Institute of Botany,the authers identified two species of Mikania Wild in Yunnan,namely M.cordata and M.micrantha.The present research also depicts the impacts of M.micrantha in Dehong,a pefecture in Southwestern Yunnan.Considering the biological features of the species,the author predicts there are possibilities of spreading of the species in Dehong prefecture,and possibly diffusing over other areas with identical climate patterns as Dehong.In the wake of this,it is highly advised that government departments and relative research institutes pay great attention to the problem and take effective measures to deal with situation.