Abstract: In recent years,the biological characteristics,kinetic factors and community ecology of endophytes have become the popular topics for bio-research. With the extension of the field of study and development of new methodologies,endophytic research has reached the areas of biological prevention and medical applications. This article describes the discovery and definition of endophytes,and discusses the future development and existing problems of endophytic research from the viewpoints of biodiversity,dynamics,research methodology,as well as the agricultural and medical applications.