Abstract：Both burial depth and burial time are important components of the ability of plants to acclimate to sedimentation, but little attention has been paid to the processes of plant acclimation. Growth, below-:above-ground mass ratio (BG:AG ratio), root morphology, carbohydrate content, and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity of the low-elevation species Phalaris arundinacea and the high-elevation species Miscanthus sacchariflorus buried under 0, 5, and 10 cm of sediment were investigated after 1, 2, and 3 months. Biomass accumulation, BG:AG ratio, and the starch content of both species generally decreased with increasing burial depth and burial time, except for higher biomass accumulation of P. arundinacea in the first month. In the first month, adventitious roots of both species, and first-order laterals of P. arundinacea, were shorter and thicker in buried plants than in controls. The ADH activity of both species and the soluble sugar content of P. arundinacea increased with increasing burial depth in the first month. Only the diameter of adventitious roots and the soluble sugar content of P. arundinacea were affected by burial depth after 2 or 3 months. It is concluded that P. arundinacea is more tolerant to sedimentation than M. sacchariflorus due to more efficient acclimative strategies in root morphology and soluble sugar content. However, acclimative abilities become weaker over time due to consistently decreasing starch content and the trade-off between tolerance to sedimentation and plant growth.