The typical and representative purple soils in Sichuan Basin are red purple soil (acidic), gray-brown purple soil Oeutral), and red-brown purple soil (calcareous). The total selenium in the soils ranged from 79.57 to 289.45μg/kg, averaged 212.32μg/kg. The content of selenium was observed to be the highest in the red-brown purple soils and the lowest in the red purple soils. The gray-brown purple soils had a selenium content between the above two soils. Moreover, less difference in the selenium content was found in the red-brown purple soils than in the other two types of purple soils. The distribution of total soil selenium was observed to be similar in the profiles of the three purple soils, being in the order of parent material> cultivated horizon > subsoil horizon > bottom borizon. Higher contents of Ca-Se were found in the calcareous purple soils, while higher contents of Fe-Se in the acidic purple soils. Water soluble Se was very low in the siols, ranged from 1 to 3% of total soil Se. And more than 95% of water-soluble Se existed in the forms of selenate,with only a small part in selenite. A positive correlation (r=0.9835^**) appeared between Se in wheat plants and K₂SO₄-extractable Se in the soils, suggested that K₂SO₄-extractable Se was available for the plants. The degrees of soil factors correlated with K₂SO₄-extractable Se were in the sequence: silt > CaCO₃> organic matter>available Fe > CEC > clay > pH.