BIODIVERSITY OF SPECIES VASCULAR PLANTS AT HO CHI MINH MEMORIAL SITES IN NORTHERN VIETNAM

Abstract

Initial research on the flora at President Ho Chi Minh memorial sites in Northern Vietnam identified a total of 334 species, 239 genera, and 96 families of vascular plants belonging to 3 divisions. The Life - form Spectrum (SB) of the flora was determined as: SB = 97.6Ph + 0.9Hm + 1.5Th. The species are diverse in their uses, with medicinal plants having 201 occurrences, timber plants 114 occurrences, edible plants 112 occurrences, essential oil and resin-yielding plants 24 occurrences, fiber plants 16 occurrences, and toxic plants 12 occurrences. Regarding the floristic elements, the flora mainly comprises the tropical elements (71.9%), followed by the Sino - American elements (13.8%), and temperate elements (11.7%). The lowest percentage belongs to the endemic elements of Vietnam with one species (0.3%). A total of 54 rare and endangered plant species were identified (accounting for 16.2% of the total surveyed species), of which 29 species are listed in the IUCN Red List (2025); 19 species in the Vietnam Red Data Book (2024), and 6 species are regulated under Decree 84/2021/NĐ-CP (2021).