The effect of salinity on some morpho-physiological characteristics in lisianthus cultivars was investigated. Cultivars namely, Blue Picotee (C1), Champagne (C2), Lime Green (C3), and Pure White (C4), were subjected to salt stress (0-60 mM NaCl) in a sand culture and their responses were measured. Our results showed that as a salinity level increased, growth parameters, relative water content, photosynthetic pigments, and gas-exchange characteristics decreased in all cultivars, while root fresh mass, root/shoot length ratio, electrolyte leakage, and a malondialdehyde content increased. However, the changes were less pronounced in C3 and C4 compared to C1 and C2. The regression analysis of the relationship between salinity levels and seedling height or root/shoot length ratio defined two groups with different slope coefficients: C1 and C2 as salt-sensitive cultivars and C3 and C4 as salt-tolerant cultivars. Shoot dry mass and leaf area tolerance indices were less affected by salinity in C3 and C4 compared to those in C1 and C2. Further, C3 and C4 showed higher photosynthetic rates, greater stomatal conductances, and accumulated greater K+ and Ca2+ contents and K+/Na+ ratios in roots and shoots compared to those in C1 and C2. The results suggests that C3 and C4 could be recommended as resistant cultivars due to maintaining higher growth, water balance, leaf gas exchange, ion compartmentalization, and lower lipid peroxidation in response to salinity compared to C1 and C2., N. Ashrafi, A. Rezaei Nejad., and Obsahuje bibliografii