In order to utilize and effectively evaluate the Erianthus arundinaceum as well as to develop its elite traits, phenotypic traits and genetic diversity were evaluated based on 5 qualitative traits and 10 quantitative traits from 162 tested samples of Erianthus arundinaceum collected from 9 provinces in China ( they were 74 in Yunnan, 15 in Fujian, 19 in Guizhou, 18 in Hainan, 14 in Sichuan, 10 in Jiangxi, 4 in Guangdong, 4 in Guangxi, 4 in Zhejiang, respectively). The results showed that: ① Shannon-Wiener genetic diversity indices which represented qualitative traits were generally in low as a whole. The accessions from Fujian province exhibited the highest genetic diversity index which was 0.762 4, while those from Guangxi province showed the lowest which was 0.294 2; ② Genetic variances which represented quantitative traits were higher, the mean variation coefficients ranged from 14.95% to 32.15% at the lowest in Guangxi and the highest in Yunnan; ③ Brix exhibited negative correlation with elevation and stalk length showed negative correlation with latitude. In addition, results from the analysis of genetic divergence coefficients indicated that a high proportion of total genetic variation was retained within the groups of different sampling regions, and the higher gene flow showed that there were active genetic exchanges among different sampling regions, that is to say there were little significant genetic divergence among these populations. According to genetic distance and UPGMA, there was a certain correlation between genetic distance and different sampling regions of Erianthus arundinaceum.