[Objective] The effects of aquatic plant remediation technology on rural domestic sewage characteristics were studied in order to provide ideas and reference information for comprehensive and ecological treatment methods in rural areas.[Methods] Using simulated indoor controlled tests, wetland plants of six different ecological types were selected for measurement and analysis of plant biomass, and removal rate, plant accumulation, sediment adsorption capacity of nitrogen and phosphorus. Purification efficiency and removal characteristics of different plants for combinations of nitrogen and phosphorus in wastewater were also studied.[Results] Both single species and combinations of plant species used as an aquatic plant system resulted in a good level of purification of TN, NH₄⁺-N, and TP from sewage. The average removal efficiencies of hydrophyte systems for TN, NH₄⁺-N, and TP were 96.6%, 93.2%, and 95.9%, respectively, and these values were significantly higher than the values observed in the control group. Thalia dealbata in single-crop cultivation grew best. The ratio of aboveground to underground biomass of Iris tectorum was the largest. The relative growth rates of Canna indica in combination planting and Pontederia cordata in single planting were the lowest. Emergent plants had better absorption of nitrogen, and Vallisneria natans had better absorption of phosphorus. The proportion of nitrogen and phosphorus uptake by plants in the total removal capacity of the system was 4.5%-17.1% and 4.1%-13.6%, respectively, and the proportion of nitrogen and phosphorus accumulated by sediment was 11.6%-26.2% and 26.3%-68.4%. Microorganisms and the indirect effects of other plants were the most important mechanisms of nitrogen and phosphorus removal in plant systems.[Conclusion] T. dealbata, I. tectorum, and V. natans and their mosaic combination were ideal wetland plants for purification of rural sewage in Huaibei Plain. Optimizing the combination, number of species, and timing of aquatic plants will be useful for purification of sewage in rural areas.