Abstract:

After the victory in the China’s Resistance War Against Japan, in 1946, American botanists Elmer Drew Merrill and Egbert Hamilton Walker proposed the compilation of the Flora of China jointly by China and the United States. This proposal received enthusiastic support from Chinese botanist Hsen-Hsu Hu, who initiated the planning, organized personnel, and began fundraising efforts. However, due to the prevailing political situation, the project was not implemented at the time. Nonetheless, this can be regarded as the inception of the collaborative effort that culminated in the joint compilation of the Flora of China in 1988.

Key words: Flora of China, history of botanical science, botanist, Hsen-Hsu Hu