Aims This research investigated the acclimation of Ardisia crenata Sims var. bicolor at different elevations, and evaluated both soil and plant responses to altitude. Methods We collected rhizosphere soil and upper canopy leaves from this evergreen shrub during the plant blooming phase from six different altitudinal ranges on the Gaoligong Mountain. We measured soil nutrients and enzyme activities. Spectrophotometry was used to investigate twelve indicators of leaves, including the antioxidant enzyme activities.Results Soil physicochemical analysis showed that soil pH was negatively correlated with altitude and decreased with soil depth, whereas there were positive correlations between altitude and soil water content, organic matter, and soil nutrients, including organic carbon, total N, and total P. Total K at high elevations showed an increase with soil depth but not significant. Soil urease, saccharase, amylase, catalase, and peroxidase activities were significantly positively correlated with altitude and organic matter, and these enzymes were sensitive to environmental changes. In contrast, specific enzyme activity provided more ecological information and responded more clearly to altitudinal changes, thus playing a crucial role in the study of interactions between soil nutrients and enzymes. Ardisia crenata var. bicolor showed significant differences in physiological compounds (except for anthocyanin); the concentrations of all compounds increased with altitude. Conclusions Our results indicate that plant-soil interactions with elevation changes significantly affect plant distribution and restrict plant growth and reproduction, which contribute to an understanding of the habitat and physiological characteristics and provide a theoretical basis for the effective cultivation and management of this species.

Ardisia crenata var. bicolor is an ornamental shrub, owing to its declined wild population, recalcitrant seeds and few high-quality cuttings, the main objective of this study was to optimize an in vitro propagation protocol by using tip shoot and nodal segment as explants from senescent plant. Explants were sterilized and cultured on Muraghige and Skoog medium contained 1.0 mg·L^-1 benzylaminopurine and 0.05 mg·L^-1 1-naphthaleneacetic acid for shoot initiation. For shoot proliferation, explants were cultured on MS medium with 1.0 mg·L^-1 BAP, 0.1 mg·L^-1 NAA, and 0.5 mg·L^-1 kinetin, and the proliferation coefficient were 3.1 and 2.5. Rooting was achieved by two explants in half-strength MS medium containing 0.5 mg·L^-1 indole-3-butyric acid + 0.1 mg·L^-1 or 0.2 mg·L^-1 NAA, and 0.5 g·L^-1 activated charcoal. The highest rooting rate were 72.7% and 65.1% with the highest mean number of roots (4.2 and 2.8, respectively). After acclimatization, 83.3% and 81.2% of plants were survived in the greenhouse. The plant can be rejuvenated via in vitro propagation and provide a reference for supplying the planting materials quickly with an uniform genotype.