Abstract: Qinghai Lake is the largest inland saline lake in China. it is situated in the northeastern part of the Qinghai Xizang Plateau. This paper is based on the information of the sporo-pollen assemblages of 47 samples from the drill core and surface samples. The general treads of vegetational and climatic changes since 11,000 years B. P. may be subdivided in ascending order as follows: In the first stage which corresponds to zone Ⅰ of the sporo-pollen assemlage, the vegetation during the past of 11,000–10,000 years was represented by a temperate shrub, semi-shrub and steppe, consisting of Chenopodiaceae. Artemisia, Nitraria, Ephedra and Gramineae were predominant. At the same time, some subalpine conifers, Pinus, Picea and Betula, would grow by the side of rivers and lakes, the climate was warmer and wetter than that of the Late Pleistocene. Due to the rising temperature in this zone, the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary might be estimated at about 11,000 years B. P.. The vegetation of the first stage belonges to temperate steppe with a few trees: In the second stage (ZoneⅡ of pollen), the vegetation was characterized by a temperate forest steppe during this period of 10,000 to 8,000 years B. P. Forest area apparently increased and some broadleaf deciduous and need leaf evergretn trees, such as Quercus, Betula, Pinus and Picea, grew by lakes and on mountains. At this time, the climate was warmer and wetter than that of the first stage. In the third stage (Zone Ⅲ) between B,000 and 3,500 years B. P, The vegetation was composed of a temperate mixed broad-leaf deciduous and needle-leaf evtrgreen forest. The needle-leaf evergreen forest consisting of Picea, Pinus, Abies, Betula grew in temperate zone mountains. The climate was relatively warm and wet. The fouth stage (zone IV), the vegetation was dominated by shrub semishrub, dwarf semishrubs, steppe and semi-arbors. Some trees consisting of Betula, Picea, and Pinus decreased in number in the lake regions. Some subalpine cold temperature evergreen trees, such as Abies and picea disappeared from the lake region. This indicated that the climate was warmer and drier during the past 3500–1500 years B. P. than the third zone. In the fifth stage (pollen zone V), the vegetation comprised steppe and desert from 1500 years ago to the present time. Some arborealtrus such as Betula and Pinus were less increased about 500 years B. P. at this time the temperate and wet slightly, rose up. From the above analysis, it is clear that the Qinghai lake region has been confronted with the vegetational and climatic changes since ll,000 years B. P. Therefore, the palynoflora of the Qinghai lake has its significance in Geography and vegetational history.

Key words: Qinghai Lake, Holocene, Palynoflora, Paleovegetation, Climatic Changes