Aquatic plants have become an important tool in aquaculture tailwater treatment due to their unique ability to absorb pollutants such as organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus and heavy metals. However, the aquaculture industry in China is huge in scale, covering a variety of different farming systems and farming environments, as well as a wide range of aquatic plants with different targets for tailwater treatment. Therefore, treatment methods and corresponding aquatic plants should be selected comprehensively in the practical application of aquaculture tailwater treatment. This paper summarises the characteristics and application examples of different aquatic plants in treating aquaculture tailwater to provide reference for more applications of aquatic plants in tailwater treatment.[Chinese Fishery Quality and Standards,2024,14(2):62-68]