Abstract: To select the population well suited for the association analysis of character-molecular marker in Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn., the seedling population of S.mukorossi was selected, which is made up of 110 individuals and meets the conditions for association analysis. A total of 25 traits were investigated and analyzed, on which phenotypic variation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and correlation analysis were conducted. The results showed that the variation of 23 of 25 traits was significant (P＜0.05) and 7 of 23 traits was extremely significant (P＜0.01), the coefficient of variation (CV) was 5.53%-65.67%. PCA showed that fruit traits and seed traits, tree traits and fruit branch traits were the best predictor of polymorphism patterns in flare tree peonies. The variation of phenotypes was in equal distribution within this population without conspicuous structure, but a hierarchical relationship was observed among different traits. The above results indicate that this selected population is well suited for the association analysis. The population may be used to select superior individuals for different purposes. Using the population of S.mukorossi as a basis for molecular assisted selection may be carried out.

Key words: Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn., seedling population, phenotypic traits, variation, association analysis