Ordos Plateau is located in an ecotone in a semi-arid to arid region. The distribution of clonal plants on Ordos Plateau was analyzed in relation to precipitation based on a dataset from plot and line transect sampling along a natural precipitation gradient from East to West. The results showed that clonal species number, ratio of clonal to total species number, importance value of clonal species, and the species number of rhizomatous clonal plants were significantly positively related to precipitation (P<0.05). Five dominant plants were all clonal, including Stipa krylovii, S. bungeana, Artemisia ordosica, Leymus secalinus, and S. breviflora. Their distribution was also affected by precipitation. The density of S. krylovii; coverage and density of S. bungeana; height, coverage, and density of A. ordosica; and height of L. secalinus were all significantly positively related to precipitation (P<0.05). However, the coverage of L. secalinus and height, coverage, and density of S. breviflora were negatively related to precipitation (P<0.05). Therefore, in the vegetation on Ordos Plateau, clonal plants had a relatively high importance value, which increased with increasing precipitation.