Abstract: 【Objective】 Dalbergia cochinchinensis Pierre is a valuable, semi-deciduous rosewood of the family Papilionoideae, commonly known as Dahongsuanzhi. D. cochinchinensis has various beneficial characteristics, including its smooth texture, ability to be polished to a high gloss, great strength, corrosion resistance and good processing performance. To research the characteristics of its seed, performance of the seedling growth, and early seedling quality to a comprehensive degree, we used D. cochinchinensis seeds collected from 10 provenances in Thailand, Cambodia and China. Additionally, we analyzed the geographical variation of phenotypic traits and the quality classification/evaluation of the seedlings. From this, we preliminarily selected the superior provenance. Finally, we provided theoretical support for work regarding D. cochinchinensis and its suitable introduction, genetic improvement for introduction to the appropriate regions, and further genetic improvement and conservation of the germplasm resources in China.【Method】 We analyzed the seed morphology(seed length, seed width, seed thickness and thousand-grain weight), germination characters(germination ratio, germination energy and germination index), and seedling growth traits(seedling height, seedling ground diameter and biomass)for 32 strains of D. cochinchinensis from Thailand. The ANOVA and Duncan's multiple comparisons analysis of the seed morphology, seed germination characteristics, and seedling growth of each strain were carried out in the statistical software R version 3.4.2. Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated among the various traits. The membership function method was used to evaluate the different strains.【Result】 There were significant differences in the phenotypic traits of the seeds among the strains. The variation in the seed length, width and thickness reached a very significant level in the 32 strains. The average seed morphology of the 32 strains was( 6.63 ± 0.56)cm in length,(4.41 ± 0.41)cm in width,(1.19 ± 0.14)cm in thickness,(25.15 ± 3.2)g in thousand-grain weight, with phenotypic variation coefficients of 8.45%, 9.29%, 11.76% and 12.88%, respectively. There were also significant differences in the germination ratio, germination energy, germination index and seedling growth traits. The average seedling height, stem height and leaf area of the 32 strains were 33.88 cm, 3.62 mm and 4.37 cm², respectively. At the seedling stage, the biomass of the leaves was the largest. The average total biomass, leaf biomass, root biomass and stem biomass were 2.55 g, 1.05 g and 0.66 g, respectively. The variance analysis showed that there were significant differences in the biomass of different organs among the seedlings of different strains. The correlation between the thousand-grain weight and growth traits(seedling height and seedling ground diameter)were significant(P > 0.05). According to the correlation analysis of different types of traits, the thousand-grain weight, germination rate, ground diameter, and total biomass were selected as the evaluation indexes. The strains were comprehensively analyzed. Strains No. 20, No. 23 and No. 18 were better performers in the correlation and membership function analysis.【Conclusion】 There were significant differences in the phenotypic traits among the germplasm. Strain No. 20, which had the best seedling growth, could be used as a preferred strain. In the early growth stage, the seed germination rate and phenotypic characteristics will have some influence in the breeding selection, but the germination test and seedling characteristic evaluation are only the initial stages of seedling introduction and cultivation. The difference in seed quality is also related to the nutritional status and harvesting time of seed-bearing mother trees. The determination of the optimal strain is a comprehensive selection and evaluation problem. Solving this problem must be through subsequent seedling breeding, afforestation and progeny breeding. Further work needs to be focused on continuous tracking verification. The preferred strain selected in this study can provide some guidance for the further popularization, cultivation, improvement and domestication of this precious mahogany resource in China. This study provides a theoretical basis for the resource conservation and genetic improvement of D. cochinchinensis.