Naxi Courtyard Gardens Conserving Himalayan Flora

From the summits of Yulong Mountain, in Southwest China, elevation drops almost 3000m to Lijiang Valley in <20km. The diverse habitats along this gradient support superlative plant richness and define the heartland of the indigenous Naxi people. Plant culture has long been a center of Naxi domestic life, as families cultivate a microcosm of the area’s floral diversity in lush courtyard gardens.

We documented the identity, origins, nomenclature and uses of Naxi courtyard garden plants in 60 households along an elevational gradient to address how indigenous plants, uses, and names are interwoven, whether wild collection drives use patterns, and how urbanization affects botanical and ethnobotanical composition.

Our results show that while historical events and new plants and practices have driven changes, Naxi gardens remain repositories of the unique local flora. These patterns of use inform theories about how ethnobotanical knowledge is generated, conserved and transmitted across the Himalayan region.