Abstract: OBJECTIVE To evaluate the quality of Chimonanthus salicifolius S. Y. Hu from different habitats and harvest time, establishing fingerprint-effect relationship models and assessing characteristic peaks significantly related to antioxidant activity. METHODS The HPLC fingerprint method was developed to quantitative determine rutin, isoquercitrin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, quercitrin, quercetin and kaempferol, and the total flavonoid contents of Chimonanthus salicifolius S. Y. Hu leaves from different habitats were measured. The SR and IC₅₀ values of the Chimonanthus salicifolius S. Y. Hu samples were determined by DPPH assay. The fingerprint-effect relationship model based on grey relationship analysis and correlation coefficient method was investigated, to identify the characteristic chromatographic peaks which were significantly associated with antioxidant activity.RESULTS The contents of total flavonoid and its monomer components and antioxidant activities of Chimonanthus salicifolius S. Y. Hu from different habitats displayed marked differences. However, the quality differences of the samples from the same cultivation base had little difference. The IC₅₀ and RSD values of the samples from Songyang standardized cultivation base was <4.5 mg·mL^-1 and 20% respectively, indicating overall strong antioxidant capacities. For different harvest time, raw materials harvested in July and August exhibited highest values of flavonoids and antioxidant capacity, especially kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, the highest content attainable was 0.87%. In addition, the results of three-dimensional principal component analysis based on chromatographic data showed that, Chimonanthus salicifolius S. Y. Hu samples from Songyang and Kaihua standardized cultivation bases had similar quality attributes, however, there was a big gap between the quality of wild samples from Liandu and the samples harvested from Songyang and Kaihua standardized cultivation bases. The results of spectral efficiency relationship constructed by grey correlation degree and correlation coefficient analysis algorithm showed that, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, quercitrin, isoquercitrin and rutin displayed a substantial correlation with antioxidant activities. CONCLUSION This study reveal the appropriate harvest time and the influence of habitats on the quality of Chimonanthus salicifolius S. Y. Hu. It is preliminarily confirmed that kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, quercitrin, isoquercitrin and rutin display a substantial correlation with antioxidant activities. The results provide certain scientific basis for quality evaluation and effective substances ofChimonanthus salicifolius S. Y. Hu.