Studying the carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) characteristics of leaves and their correlation with environmental factors provides a theoretical basis for revealing the plant's demand for nutrient elements, and the adaptability and feedback to the environment. Perpendicular to the channel of the Heihe River, eight communities dominated by Lycium ruthenicum Murr were selected, from the closest to the farthest, in Ejina Banner, Inner Mongolia. The contents of C, N and P in different water and salt environments were analysed, to explore the main limiting elements of the distribution of communities and the effects of soil water and salinity on their stoichiometry. The results showed that the average C content in the communities was (331.56±11.99) mg/g, the N content was (13.17±2.92) mg/g, and the P content was (2.49±1.64) mg/g. C and N, and N and P were positively correlated, and C and P were negatively correlated; N and C:N, P and C:P, and N:P showed a significant negative correlation. For shallow soil (0-40 cm), there was a significant negative correlation between water and P contents (P < 0.01), and a significant positive correlation with C:P (P < 0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between water and soluble total salt and N content in deep soil (40-80 cm) (P < 0.05), which was significantly positively correlated with the C:N ratio (P < 0.01). Previous studies have shown that:C:N is mainly restricted by N; C:P and N:P are mainly restricted by P; and N:P is smaller than the theoretical limit of 14 for limiting nutrients, indicating that its growth is mainly limited by N. The content of N and C:N have the same response characteristics to deep soil moisture and salinity, reflecting the anti-adversity strategy of desert plants in arid saline environment, which is one of the strategies that the community uses to adapt to drought and saline-alkali stresses.