Riparian vegetation is the ecotone between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, which had unique spatial structure and ecological service functions, being a research hotspot in ecological and environmental sciences, which was helpful to study of the dynamics of vegetation succession and the river succession. The method, function and influencing factors of riparian plant were summarized and analyzed. From the relationship between human and environment and landscape ecology that further researches in the following fields would be made: (1) change of riparian vegetation under extreme climate, (2) the management and ecological recovery technology should be further strengthen on watershed level, (3) effects of human disturbances and river hydrological, geomorphology, geology and other factors on riparian vegetation.