Abstract: In order to study the seed germination conditions and seedling photosynthetic characteristics and speculate the endangering mechanism of Camellia indochinensis, the seed germination characteristics were researched from aspects of biological properties like seed size and seed coat including soaking time, using Camellia indochinensis as materials. Results showed that seed germination of C. indochinensis was slow and irregular. Both intact and without seed coat delayed seed germination and reduced seed germination rate. The seed germination effect and seedling growth condition were the best when the seed coat was left. There was a positive correlation between seed size and germination rate, and the germination rate of large seeds was significantly higher than that of medium seeds and small seeds（p＜0.05）, but the underground biomass of small seeds was significantly higher than that of large seeds. Seed germination required a certain amount of water, which could be promoted by seed soaking. There was no significant difference in seed germination rate when soaking time was 0, 2, 6 and 8 hours, but it was significantly lower than that when soaking time was 6 hours. The light saturation point and light compensation point of C. indochinensis seedlings were low, which were obviously shade plants and sensitive to strong light. The CO₂ saturation point was higher, while the compensation point was lower, and the ability of using CO₂ for photosynthesis was stronger. The C. indochinensis seeds had dormancy, both seed size and seed coat affected seed germination. At seedling stage, the light adaptation range was narrow, and light suppression was easy to occur under strong light. Increasing carbon fertilizer application at seedling stage could improve the photosynthetic capacity of C. indochinensis.