Abstract: 【Objective】By studying the stoichiometric characteristics of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in the leaves of nine major plantation species in Southern China, the basic stoichiometric data of the main plantation species were enriched, which provided decision-making basis for forest planting and management in Southern China. 【Method】The leaves samples were collected from the average trees in the field, and then the contents of N, P and K were measured .【Conclusion】The average contents of N, P and K of nine tree species were 13.90 mg/g, 1.39 mg/g and 8.70 mg/g, respectively. There were significant differences in the contents of N, P and K among different tree species, and the contents of N, P and K of Acacia crassicarpa were much higher than those of other species. The ratios of N∶P, N∶K and K∶P in leaves of nine species ranged from 7.79 to 17.79, from 1.15 to 2.16, and from 0.07 to 0.25, respectively. There was an extremely significant positive correlation between the contents of N and P in different species, and there were synergistic effects. There were significant differences in the contents of N and P in leaves of different life-form tree species, and the contents of N and P in leaves of broad-leaved tree were significantly higher than those of coniferous tree.【Conclusion】The growth of 9 tree species were mainly restricted by nitrogen element, which indicated that the nutrients management should be strengthened and the application of nitrogen fertilizer should be increased in the later stage of forest management.