Abstract: 【Objective】Cyclocarya paliurus, the sole species in its genus, is a highly valued Chinese tree species that possesses multiple functions. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of location on variation in the DBH growth and wood density of C. paliurus, in order to establish a basis for location-based selection.【Method】Wood cores were sampled from 22 geographic locations throughout the natural distribution of C. paliurus in China(197 cores in total), and both ring growth and basic density of the cores were measured using traditional methods.Variation in DBH growth and basic density among the sampled locations were then compared. 【Result】Extremely significant variation in DBH growth was observed among the 22 C. paliurus provenances(P<0.01). At stand age of 20,the mean DBH of trees from the 22 locations was 18.6 cm, ranging from 16.7 to 20.9 cm. In general, DBH growth increased from the northwest to the southeast, and the annual change in DBH ranged from 0.69 to 1.24 cm, but gradually decreased with increasing stand age. There was a extremely significant difference in the basic density of core samples from different locations(P<0.001), and the mean basic density of the cores taken from the 22 locations was 0.470 g/cm³, ranging from 0.400 to 0.510 g/cm³. In addition, the mean basic density of the cores also varied significantly among growth rings and exhibited a consistent pith-to-bark trend in density. However, no significant difference in basic density was observed among the first 18 growth rings. Correlation analysis indicated that there was a extremely significant negative relationship between basic density and annual DBH growth(P<0.01).【Conclusion】The significant variation observed in DBH growth and basic density of the sampled locations provides a basis for breeding programs interested in improving the growth and wood quality of C. paliurus.