Abstract: The genus Gaultheria L.belongs to the subfamily of Vaccinioideae within Ericaceae.Approximately 35 species and 17 varieties have been found in China.Chinese Gaultheria species possessed high diversity in their habitat,habit,morphologic features and chemical components,with richness in their potential germplasm resources.Gaultheria has a large potential to be utilized in landscape gardening,food,medicine and some other manufactures,due to its plants in elegant shape,leaves in shining evergreen,fruits in bright color,and with abundant compounds that are beneficial to human health,i.e.,G.leucocarpa and G.fragrantissima,containing abundant wintergreen oil (methyl salicylate),have long been applied as Chinese traditional medicine.Nevertheless,few studies have been reported with regarding the resource exploitation and utilization of Chinese species.Based on previous literatures,and research data from field investigation,wild species richness,morphological characteristics,distribution pattern,resource,and species discriminability of DNA barcodes are summarized in this study,and preliminarily evaluated the values in use,to provide more basic information for the future sustainable utilization of the germplasm resources of Gaultheria in China.