Objective: To evaluate the quality of Semen Armeniacae Amarum collected from various habitats. To establish an HPLC fingerprint of Semen Armeniacae Amarum collected from various habitats

and to make evaluation by principal component analysis and cluster analysis. Method: Inertsil ODS-3 C18 column (4.6 mm×250 mm

5 μm) was used with acetonitrile-0.05% phosphoric acid solution as mobile phase for gradient elution. The detective wavelength was 215 nm and the flow rate was 1.0 mL·min-1. HPLC fingerprints of Semen Armeniacae Amarum from ten different sources were set up. Similarity evaluation combined with hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and principal components analysis (PCA) were used to evaluate the quality of Semen Armeniacae Amarum herb from ten different sources. Result: The common mode of HPLC fingerprints for Semen Armeniacae Amarum was established and 12 common peaks were marked in the fingerprints. The cluster analysis and principal component analysis were applied for pattern recognition. Conclusion: The established fingerprints method provides scientific foundation for the reasonable collection and quality evaluation of Semen Armeniacae Amarum. The Semen Armeniacae Amarum collected in Hebei province has better quality.