Taking five kinds of plantations (Pinus massoniana forest, Cunninghamia lanceolata forest, Eucalyptus urophylla×E. grandis forest, Mytilaria laosensis forest and Castanopsis hystrix forest) in Nanning State-owned Gaofeng Forest Farm of Guangxi as research objects, using field investigation and indoor soaking method, the hydrological effects of the litter layers were quantitatively compared and studied. The results showed as the following: (1) The litter accumulations of five kinds of plantations was about 1.96~9.05 t/hm², and the order of litter accumulation was Castanopsis hystrix forest > Cunninghamia lanceolata forest > Pinus massoniana forest > Eucalyptus urophylla×E. grandis forest > Mytilaria laosensis forest. (2) Among the five stand litters, the Cunninghamia lanceolata forest had the largest maximum water-holding capacity (14.23 t/hm²), and the Pinus massoniana forest had the smallest maximum water-holding capacity (6.26 t/hm²). The maximum water-holding rate of litter in Mytilaria laosensis forest was the largest(577.98%), with that in Castanopsis hystrix forest was the smallest(135.46%). (3) The effective water storage capacity of litters in Cunninghamia lanceolata forest was the largest (10.18 t/hm²), while that in Pinus massoniana forest was the smallest (4.07 t/hm²). The most effective interception rate of litter was 436.35% in the Mytilaria laosensis forest and the smallest was 92.38% in the Castanopsis hystrix forest. (4) The regression analysis showed that the relationship between the water-holding capacity of litters and the soaking time conformed to the logarithmic function (Q=aln t+b(R²>0.773)), and the relationship between litter water absorption rate and soaking time conformed to the power function (V=ktⁿ(R²>0.997)). In the water-holding process, the litters in all stands showed that the water-holding capacity increased rapidly with in 1 hour, and the increasing speed slowed down after 1 hour. After 10~12 hours, the litter basically stopped absorbing water. In conclusion, the litters layer of Cunninghamia lanceolata forest and Mytilaria laosensis forest had strong water conservation function.