Abstract: This paper deals with morphological characters in seedlings and adult plants of 5 species of Chinese Calycanthaceae.  The germination of seeds, morphology of cotyledons, hypocotyl and primary leaves of these species are enumerated, for example, the Chimon- anthus campanulatus, sp. nov. is characterized by half-hypogaeous and tetragonal coty- ledons, whereas other species epigaeous; the cotyledons of Calycanthus  chinensis  is obtriangular, Chimonanthus praecox, Ch. salicifolius and Ch. nitens are reniform.  On the morphological characters of these adult plants and geographical distribution of 4 species of Chimonanthus are keyed.  In addition a new species, Chimonanthus campa- nulatus, is described and it represents a more primitive type of the genus.