Abstract: In this study, 13 phenotypic traits involving leaf length, leaf width, petiole length, leaf circumference, leaf area and color of 21 species of Michelia were measured by using variation analysis, correlation analysis, principal component analysis and cluster analysis to evaluate the leaf morphology and ornamental characteristics of different Michelia species. The results showed that the variation coefficient of leaf morphology index of 21 species of Michelia ranged from 18.66%–56.73%, and the variation of leaf morphology was abundant, and the difference of 13 leaf morphology indexes was significant and the correlation was strong. The results of principal component analysis showed that the first 2 principal components could reflect 85% of phenotypic traits, and the leaf area, leaf circumference and leaf width were the main factors causing the leaf variation of Michelia. The 21 species of Michelia were classified into 4 categories based on leaf morphology. According to the study on the leaf color of Michelia, except M. guangdongensis leaf color was reddish brown, other plants showed different shades of green. The 21 species of Michelia have abundant leaf variation and strong ornamental color, which can provide the basis for the classification of species Michelia, the configuration model of garden tree species and the selection of hybrid parents.