Abstract: Based on our survey and specimen examination, 293 ferns in 96 genera and 47 families are recorded in Shimentai Natural Reserve, Guangdong, China. A detailed floristic analysis shows: (1) The tropical and subtropical families are dominant (31 families), which constitute 66.0% of the total families, and the non-tropial familes(16 families) constitute 34.4% of total families. (2) The percentages of the tropic-subtropic, cosmopolitan and temperate genera in fern flora of Shimentai natural reserve are 66.7%, 26.4% and 7.3%, respectively. The pantropical genera (25.0%) and the tropical Asia genera (19.8%) are the most important types. The above distribution pattern reveals the transitiveness of the elements from tropical to subtropical. (3) The percentages of the tropic-subtropic, temperate, endemic to China, cosmopolitan and endemic to zone species in fern flora of this reserve are 47.4%, 34.1%, 13.7%, 3.8% and 1.0%, respectively. So it is very different from the analysis of the genera's distribution. And the floras are being in transitiving. (4) In the 5 areas, the genetic relationship of Shimentai Nature Reservation's ferns are intimate to HongKong's (70.4/82.8: Kjaccard/Krober), and are distant to Longqishan(58.7/74.9). Originally, the ferns of Shimentai Nature Reservation are ancient. And Shimentai area lies in the interface of south Asia subtropical and middle Asia subtropical floristic area.

Key words: pteridophyte flora, floristic analysis, areal-types, Guangdong Province