Abstract: Studies on the ecological suitability zoning of Scutellaria medicinal plants can provide scientific data for predicting the ecological suitability range and selecting suitable cultivation areas of medicinal plants in Scutellaria. We collected the distribution information of three widely distributed medicinal species of Scutellaria in Shanxi Province during the Fourth National Survey of Traditional Chinese Medicine Resources (including 421 samples of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, 87 samples of S. scordifolia Fisch. ex Schrank, and 14 samples of S. viscidula Bunge.), as well as data of 55 ecological factors. The Maximum Entropy Model (MaxEnt) and Geographic Information System (ArcGIS) were used to identify the key ecological factors affecting the distribution of suitable habitats for three Scutellaria species. The results showed that vegetation type, altitude, precipitation were the main factors affecting the distribution of suitable habitats for the three Scutellaria species. The critical factors affecting the ecological suitability varied among species. S. baicalensis and S. scordifolia had a wide distribution of potential suitable areas in Shanxi Province, with relatively large suitable distribution area in Xinzhou, Lvliang, Linfen, Changzhi, Jinzhong, Taiyuan, and Shuozhou. The potential distribution of S. viscidula in Shanxi Province was relatively small, mainly concentrated in Datong, Shuozhou, and Xinzhou (the northern regions of Shanxi Province). Our results provide references for the rational introduction and cultivation of S. baicalensis and its substitutes (S. scordifolia and S. viscidula), and will facilitate the standardized production of S. baicalensis in Shanxi Province.

Key words: Shanxi Province, Scutellaria baicalensis, Maximum Entropy Model, Geographic Information System, ecological suitability zoning