Abstract: There are 66 species and 1 variety in 32 genera of Cruciferae in the Karakorum Mountains of China, in which there are 20 species in 20 monotypic genera, 22 species in 9 oligotypic genera and 24 species in 3 multiplicate genera. At the level of genera, the proportion of monotypic genera and oligotypic genera is dominant (90.63%). At the level of species, the difference among them is not significant. Hemicryptophytes of Cruciferae are dominant (69.69%) in the study area, and therefore they are the dominating components in the plant life form spectrum in this area, then followed by annual plants, and their proportion is 28.79%. The flora contains 8 areal types and 6 subtypes, the proportion of north temperate elements is as high as 33.33%, and the main distribution type is temperate nature in this area. Compared with the peripheral regions, the similarity coefficients of the Pamirs and the Karakorum Mountains of China are the highest at the level of genera and species, accounting for 71.64% and 52.62% respectively, and then those of the east Himalaya and Afghanistan, accounting for 45.82% and 26.87% respectively at the level of genera, but their similarity coefficients are low at the level of species.

Key words: Cruciferae, species diversity, plant flora, similarity coefficient, Karakorum Mountains, China