Abstract: To assess the drought tolerance of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimu’ seedlings, the effects of 80%, 60%, 40% and 20% of the maximum field water holding capacity on the botanical, physiological and biochemical characteristics were assessed in a seedling incubation pot experiment. With an increase in water stress, the height, leaf area, tillering and biomass decreased but root/shoot ratio increased. Compared with the CK, under mild stress, Pn, Gs, Ci and Tr decreased by 48.05%, 40.86%, 43.52% and 65.41%, respectively, while WUE increased by 50.21%. The relative leaf water content under mild stress decreased by 48.05% compared with the CK, while the contents of Chl a, Chl b and total Chl increased by 59.11%, 65.64% and 29.11%, respectively, but then decreased. Under heavy stress MDA content, SOD activity and Pro content increased by 73.68%, 95.20%, and 83.30%, respectively compared with the CK. Therefore M. sinensis ‘Gracillimu’ seedlings have some ability to adapt to a drought environment.