Ultraviolet (UV), primarily ultraviolet B(UV-B) radiation, has multiple biological effects on human health, and urban forests can provide residents with a moderate UV radiation environment. In order to understand whether there are inter-species differences in UV radiation characteristics in canopy shade, diurnal spectral irradiance measurements in the open and below grove canopies of 3 native tree species in Beijing, Chinese scholartree (Sophora japonica, SJ), goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria paniculate, KP) and Shangtung maple (Acer truncatum, AT), had been taken in summer using a portable fiber spectrometer with a cosine corrector. The results showed that: (1) the ratios of UV radiation in shade to which in the open (Shade Ratio, SR) were 0.03-0.1. There were significant differences in UV irradiance between different grove shade at the same time period. AT grove had the lowest shade ratio with a range of 0.03 to 0.05 compared to the range of 0.03-0.09 for KP grove, and 0.07-0.1 for SJ grove; (2) significant consistency in shade ratios of the three groves were found at each wavelength. Shade ratios in UV-B band was not as low and stable as it was in the UV-A band, which indicated that the tree canopy had a stronger effect on UV-A radiation screening than UV-B. The proportion of UV-B radiation in total UV radiation(UV-B/UV) values in shade were generally higher than that in the open, with the highest in AT grove, followed by KP grove and the lowest in the SJ grove; (3) the canopy significantly changed the spectral waveform of both daylight vitamin D production spectrum weighted UV irradiances (UV_VD) and erythema action spectrum weighted UV irradiance (UV_er), but the spectral curves in different grove shade were similar. In terms of intensity, the ratios of UV_VD/UV_er were 0.84-1.27. The mean value of the ratios were 0.99 for SJ grove, 0.95 for KP grove, 0.98 for AT grove and 1 for which in the open, with no significant differences between 3 groves; (4) the diameter at breast height (DBH), diffuse non-interception (DIFN), mean tilt angle of the leaves (MTA), leaf area index (LAI), leaf transmission, and other features of tree species or structural characteristics of the canopy, could affect the intensity of UV radiation in grove shade. But the UV radiation spectral waveforms and the positions of the peaks and valleys within different groves were generally consistent, indicating that there were no significant inter-species differences in UV light quality between groves.