Abstract: In order to understand the distribution characteristics of main functional traits of Cycas panzhihuaensis and its response to soil available nutrients, 15 permanent sample plots (10 m × 10 m) were established in the secondary savanna shrub forest of dry-hot valley in Panzhihua Cycas panzhihuaensis National Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province. The main functional traits like plant maximum height (PHMAX), area of a leaf (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), and leaf dry-matter content (LDMC) and soil available nutrients like available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), and available potassium (AK) of Cycas panzhihuaensis population in the sample plots were collected, and the distribution of main functional traits and soil available nutrients among plots and their relationships were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis test and multivariate statistical. The results showed that there were significant difference in LA, LDMC, SLA, Al, AK, and pH among different plots, but not in PHMAX, AN, and AP. Soil available potassium (AK) and pH had the greatest influence on the distribution of Cycas Panzhihua population. There was a significant correlation between the main functional traits of Cycas panzhihuaensis population and the available nutrients in soil, and the functional traits such as LA, SLA and LDMC were weakly positively correlated with AN, AP and AK. The differentiation of main functional traits of Cycas panzhihuaensis population was due to the heterogeneous distribution of soil available nutrients. The common restriction mechanism of AN, AP and AK was the main survival pressure of Cycas panzhihuaensis population at local small scale in the forest community during current succession stage. However, with the progress of forest succession, AN and AP might play more important roles than AK on growth and development of Cycas panzhihuaensis.