This study was conducted in riparian forests of the upper reach of Wenyuhe watershed. Constructive tree species were classified into different ecological species groups by DCA ordination and inter-species association analysis. Environmental gradient of the riparian forest distribution patterns was analyzed using DCA ordination of the ecological function groups. Difference of the ecological succession function was also analyzed for the groups and their controlling effect on succession dynamics of environmental pattern was interpreted. Results showed: (1) The spatial ordination difference among ecological adaptive functional groups was larger than that among the riparian forest communities which indicated that ecological adaptive functional groups could be used to analyze community spatial pattern and dynamical succession of vegetations such as riparian forests with high habitat heterogeneity and strong seasonal fluctuation; (2) Nine dominant tree species were divided into four different ecological species groups: the sunny pioneer species group including Salix ssp and Populus ussuriensis Kom, the sunny meso-humid transitional species group including Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr, Betula paltyphylla Suk. and B. Albo-sinensis Burk., the shady hygrophilous climax species group consisting of Picea meyeri Rehd. and P. wilsonii Mast. and the sunny meso-humid avoiding species group consisting of Pinus tabulaeformis Carr. and Quercus wutaishanica Mayr. (3) Riparian forest distribution depended on site elevation, slope and river valley types, the latter two factors indicating the controlling effect of hydraulic regime on spatial and temporal patterns of the riparian forest communities. The strong avoiding group, strong invasion group, intermediate invasion group and weak invasion group distributed, respectively, mainly on the steep slopes or gentle high terraces with lower altitude, the valley floodplain with intermediate altitude, the steep slopes with higher altitude and low terrace with intermediate and higher altitude. The riparian forest pattern depends mainly on topographical factors, without significant effect of soil water content. Soil factors and hydrogological disturbance may control vegetation pattern of riparian zone in a scale of watershed. (4) The succession series model of riparian forests was established according to the ecological adaptive functional groups and the ecological species groups. Different habitat has different succession process. Despite the species composition difference at first succession stage of riparian forest and upland forest the successonal serial was in the same way. However, the successional process of riparian forests were more complicated than the upland forests. The present riparian forest was a subclimax affected by the local natural factors and human disturbance with its successional speed being lower than that of upland forests, which was in accordance with van der Valk’s succession theory and heterogeneity theory of riparian zones.