In order to explore the effects of fertilization on the growth and photosynthesis in Heritiera littoralis seedlings, we used 2-year-old H. littoralis seedlings as plant material, and a pot experiment was set up with fertilization treatment of 6 levels, i.e., CK(0 g per plant), N1(10 g per plant), N2(15 g per plant), N3(20 g per plant), N4(25 g per plant)and N5(30 g per plant). This experiment lasted for 140 d, and the differences in growth, biomass, leaf chlorophyll content, photosynthetic parameters and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were compared across different fertilization levels. The results were as follows:(1)The growth(seedling height and ground diameter), biomass(leaf, stem and root), leaf chlorophyll content [Chl a, Chl b and Chl(a+b)], leaf net photosynthetic rate(Pn), transpiration rate(Tr), stomatal conductance(Gs), water use efficiency(WUE), maximum photochemical efficiency(Fv/Fm), actual photosynthetic efficiency(ΦPS Ⅱ), apparent photosynthetic quantum transfer efficiency(ETR)and photochemical quenching coefficient(qP)all displayed a hump-shaped trend with increasing fertilization, while intercellular CO2 concentration(Ci)and non-photochemical quenching coefficient(NPQ)displayed a decreasing trend.(2)The growth, biomass, gas exchange parameters and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of H. littoralis seedlings had different responses to fertilization. Specifically, seedling chlorophyll content, root mass and total biomass maximized at the fertilization level of 10 g per plant, seedling growth(height and ground diameter), leaf and stem mass maximized at 20 g per plant, and gas exchange parameters(Pn, Tr and Gs), chlorophyll fluorescence parameters(Fv/Fm, ΦPS Ⅱ, ETR and qP)maximized at 30 g per plant. In conclusion, our results suggested that an appropriate amount of fertilization can significantly enhance the leaf chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, photochemical efficiency and electron transfer rate in H. littoralis seedlings, resulting in lower heat dissipation and thus higher photosynthetic capacity, while over-fertilization can induce photoinhibition in H. littoralis seedlings, which decreases photochemical efficiency and suppresses seedling growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]