Objective The study aims at comparing the differences of wood characteristics of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) plantations from different provenances and analyzing their geographical variation regularity, so as to screen the better Chinese fir provenance.

Method The first provenance test plantation of Chinese fir planted in 1958 was selected as the research object. Through investigating the growth of Chinese fir from different provenances, the intermediate trees were determined. The wood density, tracheid morphology, dry shrinkage, wet swelling, shear strength parallel to grain, compression strength parallel to grain, bending modulus of elasticity, bending capacity, impact property and hardness were determined and compared. The wood properties were evaluated by cluster analysis and principal component analysis.

Result Significant differences were found in wood characteristics among nine provenances of Chinese fir (P < 0.05). The dry shrinkage and wet swelling of wood increased with latitude, but there was no significant geographical variation regularity in other wood characteristics. The wood density of Anhui Xiuning provenance was significantly higher than that of other provenances (P < 0.05). The rank order of the tracheid length-width ratio is as follows: Guangdong Yu'nan provenance > Zhejiang Jinhua provenance > Fujian Nanping provenance > Sichuan Pengxian provenance > Sichuan Lushan provenance > Hubei Zhuxi provenance > Hunan Huitong provenance > Anhui Xiuning provenance > Guizhou Jianhe provenance. The ratio of tangential to radial shrinkage of Anhui Xiuning provenance and volume shrinkage coefficients of Guizhou Jianhe provenance were the lowest. The bending modulus of elasticity and bending capacity of Fujian Nanping provenance were the highest. The impact property and shear strength parallel to grain of Anhui Xiuning provenance were the highest. The compression strength parallel to the grain of Guangdong Yu'nan provenance was the highest, while the hardness of wood from Sichuan Lushan provenance was higher than that of other provenances. A significant correlation between wood characteristics index and wood density was significantly correlated with some wood characteristics index. According to the difference of wood properties of different provenances, nine provenances of Chinese fir were clustered into three categories: category I included Fujian Nanping provenance, Guangdong Yu'nan provenance, Sichuan Lushan provenance and Anhui Xiuning provenance, category II included Sichuan Pengxian provenance, Zhejiang Jinhua provenance, Hubei Zhuxi provenance and Hunan Huitong provenance, category III included the Guizhou Jianhe provenance. Using comprehensive analysis, the rank order for wood properties of the nine provenances is as follows: Anhui Xiuning provenance > Sichuan Lushan provenance > Fujian Nanping provenance > Guangdong Yu'nan provenance > Sichuan Pengxian provenance > Zhejiang Jinhua provenance > Hubei Zhuxi > Hunan Huitong provenance > Guizhou Jianhe provenance.

Conclusion Geographical provenance has an essential influence on wood properties of Chinese fir to a certain extent.