Abstract: Potaninia mongolica Maxim is one of ancient and survivor species, belonging to single-species Potaninia genus of Rosace family. It has been classified as the national secondary protection species in 1980's. For a long time past, because of nature environment worsen and man-made damage, its distributive zone that is very narrow and small becomes smaller day by day, the number of the species reduce rapidly and its endangered degree becomes more serious. For this, it is very important to study on biological and ecological characteristics of Potaninia mongolica Maxim. By analyzing and summarizing materials investigated and researched for several years, the biological and ecological characteristics of Potaninia mongolica Maxim were researched on its morphological characteristics, community quantitative characteristics, ecological adaptability and propagation characteristics. Under good condition, the variety of modality is large. In all of ecological factors, Potaninia mongolica Maxim is most susceptibility and dependence to soil moisture, strict to the soil texture, not strict to the soil organic and nutrient, has special requirement for the soil salt content and pH. So Potaninia mongolica Maxim endures infertility, endures high temperature and cold, adapts to drought, and likes partial alkaline environment. It adapts to drought by stopping growth, so it is a kind of typical drought-avoidance plant. Potaninia mongolica Maxim has three breeding ways that are the seedling propagation, the splitting-root propagation and the germinated propagation of burial branch. All of them are difficult to reproduce, which is the major reason that Potaninia mongolica Maxim is a rare species.

Key words: protection species, Potaninia mongolica Maxim, ecological characteristic, community