Abstract: Influence of groundwater table on physiological properties of Phragmites australis leaves was studied in a simulating experiment.In the experiment barrels(diameter of 35.5 cm and depth of 100 cm) were filled with river sands up to 80 cm.Water was introduced directly into the bottom of the barrels to simulate groundwater tables.Water tables were kept at-60,-40,-20 and 0 cm in different barrels,separately.Rhizomes of Phragmites australis,the same in shape and number of blocks,were selected and planted in each barrel.Results show that groundwater table affected significantly leaf shape,chlorophyll content,membrane permeability and rapid light-curves of Phragmites australis leaves.When the groundwater table ranged in 0——40 cm,Phragmites australis grew well.Leaf height,leaf width,leaf area,chlorophyll content,maximal photosynthetic electron transport rate and minimal saturated light intensity of the three treatments were positively related to groundwater table,but membrane permeability was not so;As time went by,leaves of the plants in each treatment further grew,but the difference between treatments narrowed and the effect of groundwater table weakened.Chlorophyll content and rapid light response curves rose first and then declined,which is in conformity with the seasonal variation of the growth of the plant.In Treatment-60 cm,the plants survived at the beginning of the experiment and then their leaves turned yellow and withered at the late fast-growth stage,and ultimately indicating that groundwater table at-60 cm suppressed growth of Phragmites australis.