Cercidiphyllum japonicum is a rare endemic species of East Asia flora and a common component in riparian forests. Dendrochronological techniques were employed to trace radial growth of C. japonicum in the Shennongjia area of central China and examine its relationships with local climate. Effects of precipitation on width of C. japonicum annual rings were negligible except for some temporary negative impacts in prior winter. The variables most strongly controlling radial growth were temperatures in the previous December and during the current summer. Relationships for most pairs of ring-width and monthly/seasonal climate variables were temporally unstable but occasionally significant. Radial growth–climate relationships for C. japonicum were likely shaped by riparian site characteristics, root habits, and regional climatic

regimes.