Abstract: Growth and physiological characteristics of two ground cover plants, Lagerstroemia indica‘Summer and summer’and Lonicera nitida‘Maigrun’which grown in pots, were investigated under the treatment of water stress. Criteria to evaluate drought resistance, including growth increments, photosynthetic rate ( Pn) , transp iration rate ( Tr) , stomatal conductance ( Gs) and intercellular CO₂ concentration (Ci) were determined in the experiment. The results showed that with the water stress the growth of both varieties
was inhabited obviously, the relative growth rate of‘Summer and summer’was lower than that of‘Maigrun’, indicating the growth of the former was more retarded by water stress. The photosynthetic rate ( Pn) , transpiration rate (Tr) and stomatal conductance (Gs) in the treated plants appeared to decrease while intercellular CO₂ concentration (Ci) ranged from the decline at beginning to the increase at the later period of the experiment, each index variation degree of‘Summer and summer’was greater than that of‘Maigrun’. According to multiple analysis the drought resistance order for the two varieties was‘Maigrun’ > ‘Summer and summer’.

Key words: Ground cover plant, Water stress, Growth increment, Physiological characteristics