Abstract:Nitrogen content (N), phosphorous content (P) in leaves, leaf mass per area (LMA), max. net photosynthetic rate (Pmax) and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE) of 16 woody species were examined, which were used for the restoration of degraded hilly land. The results showed that contents of N and P in leaves were 18.8 mg g-1, 1.07 mg g-1, that were 6.9% and 26% lower than the national average levels (20.2 mg g-1, 1.46 mg g-1), respectively. The average N: P ratio in leaves was 18.4, 12.9% higher than the national average level (16.3 mg g-1). N content in leaves was positively correlated with P content in leaves, and the N: P ratio was significantly correlated with P content in leaves, and weakly with N content in leaves. It suggested that N: P in leaves was mainly dependent on P content in leaves. The species with high N content in leaves generally had high Pmax, PNUE and low LMA, while those with low N content in leaves had low Pmax, PNUE and high LMA.