being a worldwide problem, water pollution has a huge impact on the mankind. the world has invested a lot of manpower and material resources after the environmental governance. environmental pollution control has a new breakthrough with the emergence of phytoremediation technology that has the characteristics of low cost, more ecological and environmental friendly. this paper summarizes the mechanism of large aquatic plants in water pollution treatment, the status of water pollution, and the application of large aquatic plants in order to minimize the content of pollution from water. moreover, the discussion is also based on the selection principle of aquatic plants to decrease the water pollution and safe disposal to used aquatic plants.