The role and problem of macrophyte in artificial wetland for wastewater treatment are summarized and some research interests are proposed in this paper. Macrophyte plays three important roles in artificial wetland. 1) Uptake the nutrients, adsorb and accumulate heavy metal and poisonous substances from wastewater. 2) Transfer oxygen to rhizophere for the growth, reproduction and decompositions of microorganisms. 3) Enhance and stabilize the hydraulic transportation of media. However, die back of macrophyte, grown weed and shallow extension of root in the wetland, which affect the growth and purification efficiency of plants in wetland, are porblems for artificial wetland management. To strengthen and enhance the roles of macrophyte and the wastewater purification function of artificial wetland, the physiological ecology of macrophyte such as gas transportation and exchange, photosynthesis, stressed physiology and allelopathy of macrophyte should be studied further to select optimum macrophyte species and suitable artificial habitat should be established in the artificial wetland.