Abstract: The relationships between the anatomy and the adaptation to the environment for stems and leaves of Rhododendron shanii Fang growing in the Dabie Mountain area were studied by means of optical microdissection technology. The results show that there are thick cuticle and multiple epidermis and stomatal absence on the leaves’ epidermis; there are hair and distribution of prominent stomatal are serried under epidermis of leaves；there are abundance of palisade tissue and fibre in mesophyll, the fibre constitutes fiber bundle forming the skeleton system of mesophyll. Cork is wide in stem, the thickness ratio is 1/5 between the secondary phloem and secondary xylem; Most of pores with pores diameter stenosis and over disperse are the tracheid and moreover fibre is very rich in secondary xylem. All these features indicate that stems and leaves have unity of structure and environment in many aspects, such structural features results from adapting to environments. These features with multiple epidermis and amphicribral bundle of the main vein and vessel deficiency etc suggests that R.shanii is at the original position of the classification system.

Key words: Rhododendron shanii Fang, environment, anatomy structure, adaptability