Evergreen-deciduous broadleaf karst forest is an important part of vegetation in China. However, with the increase of population and the development of social economy, these evergreen-deciduous broadleaf karst forest have been disturbed by human beings. The karst region in southwest China is characteristiced as ecological system instability and poor anti-disturbance; the shortage of soil resources; high habitat heterogeneous and rock exposure rate, but low vegetation cover; as well as serious soil erosion. Under the special habitat conditions of karst forest ecosystem, plants are limited by seed regeneration, and the number of seeds is small, the dispersal and germination are difficult, and the regeneration of seedlings is slow. Sprouting is one of the important means of plants self-renewal in this ecosystem. studying the sprouting characteristics of woody plants could provide a scientific basis for the early vegetation restoration of the degraded karst forest ecosystem after disturbance. Using data collected from a 25 hm² plot in the Mulun National Natural Reserve in Guangxi Province, China, we analyzed the sprouting characteristics of woody plants in the large plot of the peak-cluster depression region, differences in the sprouting ability of different life forms (evergreen vs. deciduous), the relationship between sprouting ability and topographical factors, and the relationship between sprouting ability and species diversity. The results revealed that 197 species belonging to 137 genera in 59 families showed sprouting ability, with species, families, and genera accounting for 86.8%, 93.7%, and 91.3% of the total plant species in the plot, respectively. Sprouting occurred in most species in the plot, with Luculia intermedia, Rubovietnamia aristata, Pyracantha fortuneana, and Lindera communis exhibiting high sprouting ability. There were significant differences in the sprouting ability of the evergreen and deciduous groups, with the evergreen group showing a significantly higher sprouting ability than the deciduous group. Both the richness proportion of sprouting species and the abundance proportion of sprouting species were significantly positively correlated to the biodiversity index of the community. There were significantly negative correlations between sprouting ability and soil thickness, and significantly positive correlations between sprouting ability and convexity. In addition, the richness proportion of sprouting species was also positively correlated with elevation, while the abundance proportion of sprouting species was positively correlated with rock exposure rate and slope. Therefore, sprouting is considered a dominant renewal method in the community renewal of the Mulun plot; moreover, it can increase the biodiversity of the forest community. Finally, sprouting ability and certain topographical factors are significantly correlated.