西沙群岛是我国南端的一群热带岛屿, 自然环境独特, 植物区系特殊。本文通过对西沙群岛24个岛屿的野外实地调查, 并结合相关文献资料, 研究分析了西沙群岛的植物多样性、分布以及植物区系, 并列出了该地区的植物名录。结果表明, 西沙群岛共有维管植物396种, 隶属于85科262属, 其中野生植物220种, 栽培植物176种。总体来说, 西沙群岛植物种类较贫乏, 各岛屿植物多样性差异较大。植物区系以热带成分为主, 是我国热带珊瑚岛植物区系的典型代表, 其区系成分与海南岛植物区系联系最为密切, 与我国台湾、中南半岛、马来西亚、印度尼西亚和菲律宾等的区系亦密切相关。

The Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands) comprise a group of tropical islands that are located south of mainland China and have a particular natural flora. Based on a literature search and our own investigations, we present here a checklist of plants for 24 of the Paracel Islands. We also report an analysis of plant diversity, its distribution and relationship with that of neighboring regions. A total of 396 vascular plants were recorded which belonged to 262 genera and 85 families. Of these, 220 were wild species and 176 were cultivated. As a whole, the islands do not possess a rich flora; however, there are major differences in plant diversity among islands. The flora consists in large part of tropical elements, typical of tropical coral islands of China. The flora is most closely connected to that of Hainan Island, and closely related to those of Taiwan of China, Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.