The effect of plant type on n-alkane biomarker has been widely studied, but the influence of plant type on n-alkanoic acids (n-FAs) has received less attention. Understanding the effect of the distribution of n-FAs and their hydrogen isotope composition (delta H-2(FA)) is critical for interpreting sedimentary delta H-2(FA) values as proxies of hydroclimate and/or vegetation changes. In this study, we systematically investigated the distribution of n-FAs and delta H-2(FA) values across seasons on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). Our results showed that there were no significant seasonal differences in n-FAs distribution and delta H-2(FA) values, but there were significant differences in delta H-2(FA) values across plant types. The delta H-2(FA) values ranged from -185 parts per thousand to -125 parts per thousand in dicots (-161 parts per thousand +/- 28 parts per thousand), and from -215 parts per thousand to -170 parts per thousand in monocots (-196 parts per thousand +/- 22 parts per thousand) on the CLP. Isotope fractionation between delta H-2(FA) values and precipitation delta H-2 (epsilon(FA-P)) was also H-2-enriched in dicots relative to monocots. At the regional scale of the CLP, delta H-2(FA) values were not correlated with delta H-2 values of precipitation. However, delta H-2(FA) values from the CLP were similar to expectations from a global comparison, both in terms of their mean values and high variability among plants growing in sites with similar delta H-2 values of precipitation. As some of this variability in epsilon(FA-P) is due to the effect of plant type, a careful assessment of the likely sources of waxes in terrestrial sediments is critical when using delta H-2(FA) values for paleohydroclimate reconstruction.