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In this paper, we discuss charcoalified foxtail millet grains dated to the middle to late Western Zhou Dynasty and collected from the Chenyuan archeological site in Shangluo, in China's southeastern Shaanxi Province. We assigned these specimens to the species Setaria italica based on the following characteristics: an obtuse chalazal apex with missing stigmatic remains; an undulant seed surface composed of rectangular cells with undulate anticlinal walls; an elongated and deeply depressed embryo extending to almost the full seed length; and spherical starch grains. We suggest that the spread of foxtail millet from its original northern distribution center to the southern slopes of the Qinling Mountains could be attributed to: its prominence across Zhou crop systems; the latter area's arid or subarid climate; and the migration south of Zhou people fleeing severe conflict between their nation and northern nomads.

The Bryaceae is a large,cosmopolitan,taxonomically difficult moss family. Recent studies based on molecular data alone or in combination with morphological data have greatly changed the understanding of phylogenetic relationships in the Bryaceae s.l. and indicate that the Bryaceae is not monophyletic. Based on phylogenetic analyses of sequence data for four cpDNA regions and morphological data,we revise the traditional Bryaceae in China and transfer six genera to other families. The Mielichhoferiaceae was redefined previously by Hill et al. based on the presence of much-branched stems,apparently lateral gametangia,Pohlia-like leaves,and a more-or-less reduced peristome. Five genera of Mielichhoferiaceae are present in China: Mielichhoferia(four species),Pohlia(27 species,two varieties),Pseudopohlia(one species),Epipterygium(two species),and Synthetodontium(one species). The genera Orthodontium and Leptobryum are transferred from the Bryaceae s.l. to Orthodontiaceae and Meesiaceae,respectively. Members of the recircumscribed Bryaceae belong to five genera: Anomobryum(five species),Brachymenium(14 species),Bryum(54 species,two varieties),Plagiobryum(three species),and Rhodobryum(four species). Bryaceae diversity is high in China. The species have potential uses in medicine,landscaping,environmental protection,and other fields. Rhodobryum roseum(Hedw.) Limpr.,Bryum argenteum Hedw.,and Rhodobryum giganteum(Schw gr.) Paris have long been used to cure cardiovascular disease in China. Some bioactive compounds will be leading compounds for the future design of novel drugs. In recent years,many species of Bryaceae have been used for landscaping. Bryum spp. are the dominant biotic species in biological soil crusts,which serve important ecological protective functions.

Mountain Yunmeng (37°20′N, 113°54′E) is 1 520m above sea level and part of the Taihang Mountains. With a temperate continental monsoon climate, the mountain area belongs to the warm temperate deciduous broad-leaved forest region. This thesis was mostly based on the study of more than 2 000 packages of bryophytes which were mainly collected by the authors in Mt. Yunmeng, Hebei Province. Of these specimens, there are 36 families, 99 genera, and 244 species (including 17 varieties, 5 formes, and 1 subspecies) which have been studied and identified. Moreover, it could be seen that Mt. Yunmeng has a diverse population of bryophytes. The bryoflora could be divided into 10 geographical elements: north temperate element make up the majority, accounting for 52.11% of the entire known bryoflora, and another belongs to the East Asian element, accounting for 19.25%. All temperate elements, not including 14 endemic to China and 31 Cosmopolitans, were added up to 188 species, which took 88.3% of all the entire known bryoflora in Mt. Yunmeng. However, there were only 11 Subtropical and Tropical elements. To all appearances, the bryoflora of Mt. Yunmeng showed obvious temperate characteristics. The authors conclude that the bryoflora in Mt. Yunmeng belongs to the middle type, between the warm and dry northern mountain area and the warm and damp southern mountain area. The microclimatic environment greatly influences the bryoflora.