Objective To investigate the influence of planting density on stand growth characteristics of Mytilaria laosensis and to provide guidance for the density management.

Method A 6-year-old M. laosensis plantation with different densities (2 500, 1 667, 1 111, 833 and 625 trees·hm^-2) at Yunfu of Guangdong Province was used to investigate the average height, dominant height, diameter at breast height (DBH), survival rate and the height to the living branch (HLB) for 4 successive years.

Result The results showed that, as planting density increased, the DBH and current annual increment (CAI) of DBH, survival rate, individual tree volume and CAI of individual tree volume declined significantly, while the HLB, stand volume and CAI of stand volume increased significantly. In a certain range of densities, the planting densities had few effects on stand height growth. In the sixth year after planting, the maximum mean height (11.4 m) occurred at a stand of 1 667 trees·hm^-2 and the maximum dominant height (13.3 m) was found in the 1 111 trees·hm^-2 density; the maximum CAI of height was 1.5 m·a^-1 which occurred at a stand of 625 trees·hm^-2; the average DBH, CAI of DBH, individual tree volume and CAI of individual tree volume showed the highest at the stand density of 625 trees·hm^-2, which were 14.3 cm, 2.5 cm·a^-1, 0.097 3 m³ and 0.038 2 m³·a^-1, respectively, increased by 27.7%, 81.0%, 49.0% and 82.4% compared with the planting density of 2 500 trees·hm^-2; the HLB, stand volume and CAI of stand volume were the highest at the stand density of 2 500 trees·hm^-2, which were 6.0 m, 149.4 m³·hm^-2 and 44.8 m³·hm^-2·a^-1, respectively, 2.61, 2.52 and 1.95 times that of 625 trees·hm^-2 density.

Conclusion The results of studying the effect of planting density on the growth of M. laosensis can be used as reference for the cultivation of M. laosensis.