Net photosynthetic rate (PN), transpiration rate (E), water use efficiency (WUE), stomatal conductance (gs), and stomatal limitation (Ls) were investigated in two Syringa species. The saturation irradiance (SI) was 400 µmol m-2s-1 for S. pinnatifolia and 1 700 µmol m-2s-1 for S. oblata. Compared with S. oblata, S. pinnatifolia had extremely low gs. Unlike S. oblata, the maximal photosynthetic rate (Pmax) in S. pinnatifoliaoccurred around 08:00 and then fell down, indicating this species was sensitive to higher temperature and high photosynthetic photon flux density. However, such phenomenon was interrupted by the leaf development rhythms before summer. A relatively lower PN together with a lower leaf area and shoot growth showed the capacity for carbon assimilation was poorer in S. pinnatifolia. and H. X. Cui ... [et al.].