[Objectives]The paper was to classify natural types of Quercus variabilis and to study its regularity of variation.[Methods]Through the analysis of correlation coefficient matrix of tree age,DBH,tree height,breast height and bark thickness,petiole length,leaf width and leaf length,the breast height and bark thickness and petiole length were chosen as the main indices for classifying natural types of Q.variabilis.[Results]There were 4 natural types of Q.variabilis in Shaanxi Province,including long-petiole-thick-bark type,short-petiole-thick-bark type,long-petiole-thin-bark type and short-petiole-thin-bark type.The short-petiole-thick-bark type accounted for the largest proportion in Q.variabilis population(34.44%).On the northern slope of Bashan Mountains and the Huanglong Mountains,the short-petiole-thick-bark type was the dominant type,while on the northern slope of Qinling Mountains the long-petiole-thick-bark type accounted for a larger proportion.[Conclusions]This study will provide a basic foundation for making full use of excellent types of Q.variabilis natural resources.
