To reveal the effects of flooding on the photosynthesis of riparian plant species Arundinella anomala Steud. in Three Gorges reservoir region, a flooding simulation experiment was conducted and the photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence of A. anomala were analyzed. Four flooding-depth levels and four flooding durations were set in the experiment. Four flooding-depth levels included: control, aboveground half-submerged (half of the aboveground of plant submerged in water), submerged with 0.5m water depth (top of plants 0.5m below water surface), submerged with 2m water depth (top of plants 2m below water surface). Four flooding durations included: 0 days, 20 days, 40 days and 60 days. The net photosynthetic rate (Pn), total chlorophyll content, maximal photochemical efficiency of PSⅡ, electron transport rate, apparent quantum yield, photosynthetic chlorophyll utilization efficiency and carboxylation efficiency of A. anomala plants were determined after 0 days, 20 days, 40 days and 60 days inundation treatments, respectively. It was shown that flooding did not have significant effects on photosynthetic characteristics of A. anomala subjected to inundation less than 60 days. After 20d and 40d inundation, Pn of plants subjected to treatments of three inundation depths did not decrease significantly as compared with Pn of control plants. The aboveground half-submerged plants after 20d inundation contrarily had 16.1% higher Pn than control plants. After 60d inundation, Pn of plants submerged with 0.5m water depth and plants submerged with 2m water depth decreased to 7.51μmol•m^-2•s^-1 and 9.15μmol•m^-2•s^-1, which was significantly lower than the Pn of control and aboveground half-submerged plants. In the experiment, it was found that inundation of 20d and 40d did not affect electron transport rate, apparent quantum yield and carboxylation efficiency. After inundation of 60d, the electron transport rate, apparent quantum yield, photosynthetic chlorophyll utilization efficiency and carboxylation efficiency of aboveground half-submerged A. anomala plants did not decrease as compared with control plants, but the electron transport rate, apparent quantum yield, photosynthetic chlorophyll utilization efficiency and carboxylation efficiency of plants submerged with 0.5m and 2m water depth decreased. During the whole experimental period, the net photosynthetic rate, electron transport rate, apparent quantum yield and carboxylation efficiency of half-submerged A. anomala plants were not affected by inundation. Although the net photosynthetic rate, the electron transport rate, apparent quantum yield, photosynthetic chlorophyll utilization efficiency and carboxylation efficiency of plants submerged with 0.5m and 2m water depth experienced inundation of 60d decrease, but they are still not lower than those of some plant species which do not experience inundation. Our work shows that as regards photosynthesis, A. anomala has high tolerance to inundation, it is a promising species for revegetation of riparian area in Three Gorge reservoir region.