Investigations were carried out on structure of salt gland and secretion characteristics of salt excretion from xero-halophyte Reaumuria soongorica and their relationship with salt distribution in the soil and the plant under arid and saline-alkali conditions.Na⁺ and SO₄^2- were the prominentions in the soil solutions,as well as in the plant tissues,followed by K⁺,Mg²⁺,and Cl^-,and the content of Ca²⁺ was the lowest.The internal salt contents,which were lower in the branches than in the leaves,were diurnally approximately constant.Na⁺,K⁺,Ca²⁺,Mg²⁺,Cl^-,and SO₄^2- could be secreted from its multi-cellular salt gland.The excretion rate was higher during the day than during the night and in the morning than in the afternoon,as was affected by temperature.Among the excretedions,Cl^- was the highest,followed by Na⁺ and SO₄^2-,and then K⁺,Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ the lowest.In comparison with the salt content in the leaves,Cl^- excreted from the salt grand was much higher over otherions.The ratio of Na/K in the secreted fluid were higher than that in the plant tissues.The above-described findings showed that the salt content in the plant was related to the salt content in the soil as well as the plant s characteristics of absorbing the elements;and the excretion of the salt grand was affected by temperature and irradiation and its high selectivity of ions.Such high selectivity for ions in absorption and excretion of Reaumuria soongorica is of high significance to the plant in adapting to the saline alkaline habitat.