Biosynthesis and regulation of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants; Resources, biodiversity, geographic distribution and phylogenetics of medicinal plants in the family of Lamiaceae.

Mainly on Plant Taxonomy of Eastern Asian seed plants
1. The Taxonomic Literature of Eastern Asian Higher Plants
2. Alien Invasive Plant of China
3. Shanghai Metropolitan Flora
4. Systematics and Taxonomy of Euonymus (Celastraceae)
5. Taxonomic Revision of Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae) in Eastern and Southern Asia
6. Natural History of Metasequoia, a living fossil
7. Taxonomic Revision of Aristolochia (Aristolochiaceae) of Eastern and Southern Asia
8. History of Plant Taxonomy in China 

Mainly on germplasm innovation and effective utilization of tree peony, especially
1. Selection of oil tree peony germplasm resources and the molecular mechanisms of fatty acid biosynthesis;
2. The whole-genome sequencing of tree peony;
3. Evolutionary mechanism of big genome and large chromosome, and chromosome size of tree peony;
4. Germplasm enhancement of Jiangnan tree peony;
5. Molecular mechanisms of Jiangnan tree peony color pattern development.

Research in the Tian group at Chenshan Botanical Garden is focused on understanding the regulatory control of hydrolyzable tannin metabolism in pomegranate using molecular, biochemical, genetic and omics approaches. Our long term goal is apply this knowledge to improving the nutritional value of pomegranate as functional food.

Classification and assessment, domestication, propagation, breeding and commercialization of ornamental plants; genetic mechanisms in plant morphology and development. Interests are mainly focused on Nelumbo, Begonia and other taxa with important ornamental values.

We are interested in fern diversity and evolution, including investigation and cataloging of fern diversity in China, taxonomy of important fern groups, the pattern and causation of fern diversity, the structure, function and evolution of fern's key traits, as well as preservation and exploration of fern resources.

Our research focuses on studying signal transductions of plant abiotic stresses and the mechanisms of stresses tolerance in plant genome evolution. We are searching and using those poaceae plant resources which can survive in extreme environments like high salt, cold and drought etc.

Our research spans a wide range of topics in plant systematics and evolution. Our research goal is to test systematic and evolutionary hypotheses in a phylogenetic context. We use DNA sequences to generate hypotheses of phylogenetic relationship for inferring morphological character evolution, analyzing patterns of biogeography, and revising classification. Researchers in our lab have mainly studied the systematics and diversification of Fagaceae.

We work closely with the Montréal Botanical Garden, University of Montréal (Canada) and the École des Mines de Nantes (France). Our common mission is to improve the water and soil quality at urbanization area by using phytotechnology. Our research focuses on phytotechnology or, in other words, how to use plants to solve environment problems such as water and soil popution.(1)Study on the effect of plant species on plant growth and nutrient uptake in constructed wetlands for wastewater with low nutrient load. (2)Study on selection of Chinese shrub and tree species promising for phytoextraction of trace elements in a large-scale experimental site.

1. The roles and regulatory mechanisms of DNA/RNA methylation during early flower development, as well as the interplay between epigenetic nucleotide modification and transcription factors (mainly ABC factors).
2. Molecular evolutionary biology about the DNA/RNA epigenetic mechanisms.

Mainly on the sythesis, regulation and evolution of flavonoids in Scutellaria baicalensis and related species. 
1. the biosynthetic and regulation of flavonoids in Scutellaria baicalensis;
2. the evolution of flavonoids biosynthetic pathway in Scutellaria L.;
3. The mechanism of flavonoids promoting health;
4. Collection of the germplasm resource of Scutellaria L.

Mainly on diversity studies of orchids distributed in East Asia and East Africa, especially on :
1. Phylogeography of orchid disjunctive distributed in Asia and Africa
2. Conservation genetics of medicinal orchid—take Bletilla striata for an example
3. Chemical component analysis of fragrant orchid
4. Phylogeography of orchid distributed widely in East Asia
5. Appreciation and evaluation of orchid