Abstract: OBJECTIVE To screen fine germplasm resources and suitable cultivated place for Paris polyphylla Smith var. chinensis (Franch.) Hara by determining the content of 4 main active steroidal saponins collected from different habitats. METHODS HPLC method was applied to determine the content of steroidal saponins Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅵ, Ⅶ in 12 wild germplasm resources of Paris polyphylla Smith var. chinensis (Franch.) Hara. The column was Waters XBridge C₁₈(250 mm×4.6 mm, 5 μm ). The mobil phase was acetonitrile(A)-water(B). Gradient elution was used. The column temperature was 25 ℃ and the flow rate was 1.0 mL·min^-1. RESULTS Significant differences existed in the polyphyllin content of Paris polyphylla Smith var. chinensis (Franch.) Hara samples collected from different habitats. The polyphyllin content of half tested samples could not reach the criteria of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The high quality Paris polyphylla Smith var. chinensis (Franch.) Hara was selected from Yongjia, Wenzhou with four polyphyllins total content of 2.928%, significantly higher than those of other habitats. CONCLUSION The mountainous areas of south Zhejiang are suitable for the cultivation of Paris polyphylla Smith var. chinensis (Franch.) Hara.