Abstract: This paper deals with morphological characters in seedlings and adult plants of 5 species of Chinese Calycanthaceae. The germination of seeds, morphology of cotyledons, hypocotyl and primary leaves of these species are enumerated, for example, the Chimonanthus campanulatus, sp. nov. is characterized by half-hypogaeous and tetragonal cotyledons, whereas other species epigaeous; the cotyledons of Calycanthus chinensis is obtriangular, Chimonanthus praecox, Ch. salicifolius and Ch. nitens are reniform. On the morphological characters of these adult plants and geographical distribution of 4 species of Chimonanthus are keyed. In addition a new species, Chimonanthus campanulatus, is described and it represents a more primitive type of the genus.