【Objective】 This paper is aimed to find out priority of plants in adaptability to karst matrices.【Method】Four native species of plants, Cynodon dactylon, Miscanthus sinensis, Trifolium repens and Festuca elata in the karst areas were selected for test in a pot experiment with pots packed with different matrices, separately.【Result】Results show that the karst habitat diversifies in plant growing matrix. Physico-chemical properties of the matrices as a whole improved with plants growing on and on, except for decrease in total potassium content. The plants were the highest in germination rate and survival rate in the pots of limestone soil, < 1mm sand and < 1mm sand + limestone soil and the lowest in the pots of limestone debris and limestone debris + litter, while among the four species of plants, Trifolium repens and Cynodon dactylon was the highest in germination rate and survival rate, respectively. With the plants growing on and on, the plants were higher in plant number, plant height and coverage in the pots of limestone soil, < 1mm sand, < 1mm sand + litter and lower in the pots of limestone debris and limestone debris + litter; and the plants in all the pots increased in coverage, and only Cynodon dactylon increased in number. The plants in the pots of limestone soil, < 1mm sand, litter, and < 1mm sand + litter were the highest, and the lowest in the pots of limestone debris, and limestone debris + litter in biomass, while among the plants, Cynodon dactylon and Trifolium repens were high and Miscanthus sinensis and Festuca elata were low. The plants were high in total chlorophyll in the pots of < 1mm sand, limestone soil, limestone soil + 1mm-5mm sand and < 1mm sand+ 1mm-5mm sand + limestone debris + limestone soil, and low in the pots of limestone debris, while among the plants, Trifolium repens and Cynodon dactylon were higher and Miscanthus sinensis and Festuca elata lower, and Miscanthus sinensis and Cynodon dactylon were higher in δ13C than Trifolium repens and Festuca elata. The value of δ13C in the plant is related not only to species of the plant, but also to the matrix it grew in.【Conclusion】To sum up, the plants in karst areas can grow not only in limestone soil, but also in other matrices. The four species of plants in this experiment are highly adaptable to the matrices of limestone soil, < 1mm sand, < 1mm sand + litter and limestone soil + 1mm-5mm sand, fairly adaptable to 1mm-5mm sand, litter, <1mm sand + 1mm-5mm sand + limestone debris + litter, limestone soil + 1mm-5mm sand + litter, <1mm sand + limestone soil + litter and 1mm-5mm sand + litter, and barely adaptable to limestone debris and limestone debris + litter, and Cynodon dactylon and Miscanthus sinensis are more adaptable than Trifolium repens, and Festuca elata. Therefore, Cynodon dactylon and Miscanthus sinensis can be selected preferentially as pioneer plant for ecological restoration in karst areas. The extension from studies on the single soil matrix to studies on plant growing matrices of karst areas helps broadens the research theory and perspective, which is of great significance to ecological vegetation restoration in karst areas.