The relationship between plant community structure and its environment by analyzing plant life forms and plant ecotypes has important significance for the occurrence, development and succession law of plant community. An investigation was made on the species life form and ecotypes of wetland plants in Lake Dongting wetlands. Herbs are the dominant growth form, followed by lianas, but trees are scarce. Therophytes are major life forms, followed by geophytes and hemicryphytes, and phanerophtes and chamaephytes were the least in Lake Dongting wetlands. The proportion of phanerophtes and chamaephytes in different communities and the same life in different plant communities increased with the elevation. Hygrophytes is major ecotype according to water requirement. Neutral soil plant is dominant ecotype based on soil pH requirement. Heliophytes is dominant ecotype according to light intensity demand. The depositions of plants are major ecotype according to responses sediment ubrial. Heliophytes, xerophyte, mesophyte, alkaline plant, neotrophilous and burial intolerant plant distribute mainly in low-elevation sites. Shade-demanding plant, shade-enduring plant, acid plant, alkaline plant and burial intolerant plant species also increased with elevation. In Lake Dongting wetlands, the proportion of plants which can adapt to both flooding and sedimenting processes simultaneously is high. Water is the key factor determining the plant distribution of different ecotypes. Species and ecotypes were more diverse in intermediate- and high-elevation sites.