Objective To investigate the plant type characteristics of hybrid progeny derived from Cunninghamia lanceolata cv. Luotian and Cunninghamia lanceolata, and to provide diverse materials for Chinese fir production and research on pendant branch traits.

Method Reciprocal crosses were conducted between Cunninghamia lanceolata cv. Luotian and Cunninghamia lanceolata to obtain F₁ segregating populations. The plant type characteristics of both parents and the progeny population were measured, and their trait expressions, correlations among traits, and progeny categories were analyzed.

Result The number of nodes in the progeny from orthogonal cross was significantly higher than that from the reciprocal cross. The internode distance of the reciprocal cross was significantly higher than that of the orthogonal cross. The basal branch diameter of the forward-cross progeny exhibited a normal distribution. The coefficients of variation for crown width, number of nodes, and branch length ranged from 21.06% to 27.02%, indicating considerable selection potential. However, the coefficients of variation for internode distance, branch angle, and basal branch diameter ranged from 15.06% to 19.77%, showing limited separation and selection potential. Among progeny more than 18 nodes, the proportion of progeny from the forward-cross was significantly higher than that from the reciprocal cross. Conversely, among progeny with an internode length exceeding 20 cm, the proportion of forward-cross individuals was significantly lower than that of reciprocal-cross individuals. Both forward and reciprocal progeny clustered into two groups based on branch angles (45°～80° and 80°～125°), and the proportion of these two groups was not significantly influenced by the parental lines. The branch angle, crown width, branch length, basal diameter of the branch, and number of nodes in the hybrid progeny were interrelated. The branch angle was significantly positively correlated with the number of nodes and internode distance, but significantly negatively correlated with crown width, branch length, and basal diameter of the branch. Cluster analysis identified four different types of pendant and non-pendant plant types, which can be utilized based on different breeding and research objectives.

Conclusion Using Cunninghamia lanceolata cv. Luotian as the male parent tends to yield progeny with larger internode distances. As the female parent, it is more likely to produce progeny with a higher count of nodes. The ratio of pendant to non-pendant plant types in the progeny is not notably affected by the parental plants. Superior progeny with long internodes (>20 cm) and extreme branch angles (>90° or <70°) can be valuable for breeding different wood quality traits and serve as experimental materials for investigating the genetic mechanisms underlying pendulous traits in in Cunninghamia lanceolata.