Abstract
Aneurolepidium chinense has two ecotypes, the grey type and the green type. It has been reported that the former is more tolerant of saline and drought condition and grows on more alkaline and drier soil than the latter. This paper deals with soil alkalinity of these ecotype habitats. The vegetation and soil hardness, pH and electric conductivity (EC) were surveyed in two pastures. In one pasture (pasture A), the survey was made into six vegetation types that were concentrically distributed around an alkali-spot. The soil hardness, pH and EC were respectively 27 mm/cm^2, 9.5 and 0.222 mmho/cm in the grey type vegetation, and 15 mm/cm^2, 8.2 and 0.105 mmho/cm in the green type vegetation. In the other pasture (pasture B), the soil hardness, pH and EC were respectively 21 mm/cm^2, 9.8 and 0.098 mmho/cm in the grey type vegetation, and 5 mm/cm^2, 9.6 and 0.052 mmho/cm in the green type vegetation. From these results, it was concluded that the habitats of the two ecotypes were clearly segregated from each other by the soil alkalinity.
