At present, there are few reports on the ecological restoration vegetation of the red soil erosion area in southern China. In this study, the functional traits of Dicranopteris dichotoma were studied under different vegetation restoration years in the region (including non-recovered land, 6 years, 12 years, 18 years, 36 years, and 80 years), combined with different vegetation restoration years. Changes of soil factors were studied to investigate the changes of the functional traits of the leaves and the relationship between the functional traits of the leaves and the response to the soil factors. The results showed that the functional traits of the leaves were significantly different with the increase of vegetation restoration years (P<0.05), and showed the combination of different functional traits of stress, expansion and competition with the increase of vegetation recovery years. The correlation between leaf functional traits also showed significant characteristics (P<0.01). The principal component analysis showed that the total nitrogen content, specific leaf area and total phosphorus content of leaves were ranked high, which could be used as the main evaluation index of functional traits of the leaves. Through redundant analysis (P<0.01), soil total carbon content, soil total nitrogen content, and soil total phosphorus content had significant effects on the functional traits of the leaves of Dicranopteris dichotoma (P<0.01). With the growth of vegetation restoration years, leaf functional traits showed different combinations, and corresponding adaptation strategies by soil factors which reflected the strong plasticity of the leaves of Dicranopteris dichotoma with soil factors, as an important ecological restoration. Vegetation is conducive to the effective establishment and restoration of vegetation in the red soil erosion area of southern China.