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Abstract: The application of phytolith analysis in wetlands to reconstruct the paleoenvironment relies on the research of phytoliths of modern wetland plants. In this paper, 31 selected wetland plant species, belonging to 14 families and 26 genera, were studied. An inventory of phytolith types is provided and type-frequencies are assessed. There are 19 main kinds of phytoliths in this paper: elongate, cross, bilobate, scutiform phytoliths, lanceolate, fusiform phytolith, rondels, achene phytolith, silicified stomata, conical phytoliths, tracheid phytoliths, epidermal cells, trapeziform crenate, cylindrical polylobate, wavy trapezoid, cuneiform bulliform cells, sleeper-type, saddle and silicified hair cells. The taxonomic diagnostic potential of phytoliths (where the silicified stomata are outside) was tested by cluster analysis, which, to a certain extent supported the hypothesis that plant species can be identified on the basis of type, presence and frequency. Conical phytoliths were analyzed separately and results showed that Cyperaceae species can be distinguished by conical phytoliths at the species level. Silicified stomata dimensions were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, which found large disparities in the length and width, and a size category system of silicified stomata dimensions was developed, classifying the major groups into four subgroups. The current study shows that size and shape can be used to assign some of the silicified stomata to their respective genera. The percentage of stomata was also analyzed and the results revealed that there are more stomata in hydrophytes than mesophytes. These results reinforce the utility of using phytoliths as significant indicators for wetland plants and offer the potential of phytolith analysis for paleoenvironment and paleoclimate reconstruction in this region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]