Lycium barbarum (Wolfberry) is an important traditional medicinal plant that grows in arid areas of China. In recent years, it has been widely cultivated on saline lands not only for its significant economic benefits (due to the use of its fruit in medicine and health products), but also for improvements in the saline soil of arid regions. In order to trace the distribution characteristics of the main nutrient elements (C, N, P, S, K, and ash) in different modules (flowers, fruits, leaves, branches, stems, and roots) and vertical tree layers (aboveground: 0-50 cm, 50-100 cm, 100-150 cm, and 150-200 cm; belowground: 0-100 cm) of L. barbarum, 4-, 7-, and 11-year-old L. barbarum plants in their fruiting periods were selected at the Jintai electrical-irrigation area in Gansu Province. The results showed that the contents of C, N, P, K, S, and ash in different modules of adult plants were significantly different. Flowers were rich in C, N, P, and K; fruits in C, K, and S; leaves in C, S, and ash; stems and branches in C; and roots in C and N. C was the most important constituent in all modules of the plant. Its content in the stems reached 44.25%, which was highest among the modules, whereas that in the leaves was the lowest (29.8%) and only accounted for 67.3% of the stems. The accumulative amount of nutrient elements in different modules and vertical tree layers were also significantly different. The order of the total accumulative amount of nutrient elements in different modules was as follows: root ≈ stem > branch > leave > fruit > flower. C, as the major accumulative matter, accounted for more than 30% of dry biomass of the different modules, whereas N, P, K, and S each accounted for less than 3%. Aboveground, the total nutrient elements in the 0-50 cm, 50-100 cm, 100-150 cm, and 150-200 cm layers accounted for 26.9%, 42.3%, 24.5%, and 6.2%, respectively. This indicates that nutrient elements accumulate mainly in the 50-100 cm layer, which is a key layer for management. In addition, defoliation, fruit harvesting, and pruning annually result in the export of large amounts of nutrient elements, and the annual cumulative output of the three essential elements N, P, and K reached 190.4 kg/hm², of which the output of fruits was 91.1 kg/hm², accounting for 47.7%, and that of pruned branches was 23.2 kg/ hm², accounting for 12.2%. The results showed that the different modules of the plant absorb different amounts of nutrient elements, and fruit harvesting and pruning caused significant losses of nutrient elements. In conclusion, rational fertilization is vital for maintaining the growth and high yield of L. barbarum plantations, and it is also essential to return shredded pruned branches to saline lands.