A study of traditional diversity study focuses on the number of species in a given ecosystem. Traditional indices are extremely sensitive to the sampling method and sample size; changes in sampling efforts often significantly impact on the level of diversity in an ecosystem, and it is difficult to compare data sets collected at different times and regions. Taxonomic diversity is used to measure species diversity, and not only species abundances and distribution but also taxonomic relatedness are considered. Furthermore, this method is robust and minimally influenced by variables or uncontrolled sampling efforts. On the other hand, taxonomic evenness of an assemblage should also be considered. It not only reflects community diversity; but also provides information on the relationship between environmental factors and indirect disturbance, which are often applied to identify whether the ecological system or environment is undergoing degradation. To explore the species diversity in Yellow River Wetlands, Pinglu,Shanxi, and to test the application of taxonomic diversity in plant ecology, 16 sites were chosen around the Sanmenxia Dam, Pinglu and a species list was established. In the present study, 368 species belonging to 213 genera, 67 families and 36 orders were recorded in this region. Most of the species belonged to the families Compositae (54 species) and Poaceae (45 species). Plant species diversity was studied using average taxonomic distinctness (Δ⁺) and variation in taxonomic distinctness (Λ⁺) and a confidence funnel was obtained. The expected value of Δ⁺ and Λ⁺ were 74.24 and 480, respectively. No significant difference were observed among the different stands both upstream and downstream of Sanmenxia Dam and various community types (P>0.05). The average taxonomic distinctness values of Checun (62.28) and Biegan (67.41), which severely disturbed by human activities, were lower and below the confidence limit. The average taxonomic distinctness values for Nangou Ferry and Sanwan Lake, which were sites with better water availability and less disturbance, were higher, (81.30 and 79.94,respectively). The value of Λ⁺in Checun (814.44) was the highest, suggesting that the species distribution in this site was less homogeneous. The value of Λ⁺ in Jianbei (423.31) was the lowest, with species distribution being homogeneous. Traditional diversity methods hardly reflect species composition, distribution and diversity; and there is no certain correlations between taxonomic diversity and species number. The correlation coefficient between Δ⁺ and S was 0.257(P > 0.05), and that between Λ⁺ and S was -0.187(P > 0.05). Anthropogenic activites such as cultivation and tourism are dominant factors that have caused the significant decrease in taxonomic diversity and non-uniform sapatial distribution of species of different taxa in Yellow River Wetlands.