Based on the survey of community plots, a quantitative analysis of endangered Larix chinensis communities was performed with Two Way Indicator Species Analysis (TWINSPAN) and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA).The communities of Larix chinensis were classified into 4 types by TWINSPAN, and the results of TWINSPAN were validated by CCA. On the CCA graph, the first axis mainly expressed altitude and soil conditions, and the second axis reflected position and orientation of slope. The CCA ordination diagrams of 23 major species of 10 plots have a similar pattern with the CCA ordination diagrams of communities, which exhibits the basic types, ecological gradients of the communities and the relations of environmental factors with Larix chinensis communities.

Larix chinensis communities;multivariate analysis;environmental interpretation