To investigate the diversity and distribution characteristic, and to provide data for efficient utilization and conservation for Miscanthus floridulus (M. floridulus). One hundred and seventeen accessions of M. floridulus, collected from Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces, were evaluated for their diversity in phenotypic traits. The result of this paper were (1) there were abundant variation in phenotypic traits among populations and within populations, with variation coefficient ranging from 2.80% to 73.43%; (2) the first three principal components explained 87.75% variation and principal component 1 reflected the leaf traits, principal component 2 reflected the stem trait and principal component 3 reflected the inflorescence trait; (3) according to the UPGMA cluster analysis, the populations of M. floridulus in this study could be divided into three groups: group 1 includes Hunan and Jiangxi populations, group 2 includes Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei and Guizhou populations, and group 3 includes Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang populations.