Camellia oleifera is one of the four woody oil plants in the world and it has been cultivated for over 2000 years. Recent studies have increasingly focused on carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry, which reflects the interaction of vegetation and soil and reveals soil nutrient limitations. To understand the C, N, and P stoichiometric characteristics of C. oleifera plantations and the factors that limit the growth of C. oleifera during stand development, we conducted a field experiment to investigate the plant leaf and soil C, N, and P contents and their stoichiometric ratios in different stand ages in Hunan, Jiangxi, and Hubei provinces, in China. We randomly selected 32 C. oleifera plantations across the subtropical region. Using space instead of time, all C. oleifera plantations were classified into four stand ages:under 9 years old, 9-20 years old, 20-60 years old, and over 60 years old. The results showed that:(1) the soil organic carbon (SOC) and total N (TN) contents of C. oleifera plantations increased with the increasing stand age, while the total P (TP) and Olsen-P contents did not significantly change during stand development and were always maintained at a low level (average values of 0.36 g/kg and 5.43 g/kg, respectively); soil stoichiometry (C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios) showed an increasing trend in under 60 year-old forests; (2) the leaf C content did not vary significantly with stand age, while the N and P contents decreased with the increase of stand age. Leaf C, N, and P contents were 498-506 g/kg, 11.66-15.46 g/kg, and 0.66-0.95 g/kg in all tested C. oleifera plantations, respectively. Leaf C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios increased with the increasing stand age. The leaf N:P ratio was over 16 in all stand ages. A correlation analysis showed a significantly positive relationship between SOC and soil TN, and a significantly positive relationship between leaf N and P contents. The leaf P content was positively correlated with soil TP and Olsen-P contents, while the leaf N content was not correlated with soil TN content. The correlation analysis also showed the significantly positive relationships between leaf and soil C, N, and P stoichiometric ratios. In summary, C. oleifera plantations were mainly restricted by P, and P limitation increased with stand age. In addition, N and P acquisition had a synergistic effect in C. oleifera, and there was a broad quantitative coupling relationship between the leaves of C. oleifera and soil elements. We suggest that the input of P and the balance of soil nutrients should be considered in the management of C. oleifera plantations. Our study systematically analyzed the stoichiometric characteristics of plant and soil C, N, and P in different stand ages and revealed the nutrient status of C. oleifera plantations.