Abstract: This paper is concentrated on the comparative study of the ecophysiological characteristics of the Artemisia ordosica communities in different soil types. Our results show that 1. The shrub growing in the dune community is in an better growth potential than that in the fixed dune community. The biomass of the dune community is about 4--5 times that of the fixed dune community; 2. The soil water conductivity of the dune community is up to 10 times that of the fixed dune community; 3. Water potential and the difference between leaf and cuvette temperature can be used as indicators of the growth regime of Artemisia ordosica, whereas transpiration rate and diffusive resistance are less sensitive.