Abstract: Camellia nitidissima Chi, an evergreen understory shrub or sub-tree, is a rare and endangered ornamental species, and its distribution is very narrow. Based on the investigation data from a 1 hm² secondary forest plot in the Fangcheng National Reserve of Guangxi, South China, and by using uni- and bivariate analyses of paired correlation function g(r), this paper studied the distribution pattern of C. nitidissima and its spatial association with dominant species. The size distribution of the C. nitidissima population showed an invert J-shape, indicating that the C. nitidissima population was in a stable and normal growth status. C. nitidissima was significantly aggregated at scales <25 m, and the aggregation intensity weakened with the increase of scale. C. nitidissima showed a significant spatial correlation with most of the other main tree species (accounting for 88%) on different scales, which was stronger than the spatial correlations between the top five trees and the 25 main trees in the plot. What’s more, the significant negative correlations between C. nitidissima and the main tree species accounted for 60%, which were obviously greater than the significant positive correlations, indicating that the way the C. nitidissima utilized resources was different from the majority trees in the plot. Six main species which located in the middle and upper layers of the community showed significant positive correlations with C. nitidissima, implying that they created suitable understory environment for the survival of C. nitidissima.

Key words: rotation system, rice season, greenhouse gas, global warming potential, Chinese milk vetch.