Abstract: A laboratory study was made on the germination characteristics of 14 species in the hilly-gullied region of Loess Plateau, North of shannxi, China. Results indicated that the germination rate of Periploca sepium, Artemisia gmelinii and Artemisia giraldii was over 80%, Bothriochloa ischaemum, Syringa oblata, Heteropappus altaicus, Stipa grandis, Hippophae rhamnoides and Artemisia scoparia was 60%~80%, Stipa bungeana was 37.3%, while Cleistogenes caespitosa, Robinia psendoacacia, Sophora viciifolia, Ostryopsis davidiana was less than 20%. The shortest days of these species began to germinate was 2 d，the longest was 8 d, almost all the species with the day reaching 50% of the final germination amount was 7 d; most of the species reached 90% of the final germination amount within 15 days. The germination period of 4 species including R.psendoacacia, S.viciifolia, O.davidiana and H.rhamnoides was the shortest (6 d), but the germination period of A.scoparia was 32 d. The role and status of these species in the vegetation succession was decided by their seed germination characterristics and ecological adaption in the hilly-gullied Loess Plateau of Northern Shannxi.

Key words: Hilly-gullied Loess Plateau, seed germination, germination pattern, germination process, ecological adaption