Allocation of leaf phosphorus (P) among different functional fractions likely varies along soil P gradients, but the ecological significance remains poorly understood. In this work we chemically separated leaf P into five functional fractions (orthophosphate P; low-molecular-weight metabolite P; nucleic acid P; lipid P; and residual P) for 35 native Australian woody species from three sites: one on high-P basalt-derived soil and two on low-P sandstone-derived soils, one undisturbed and one disturbed by human activities. Species at the undisturbed low-P site generally exhibited lower concentrations of total leaf P, primarily due to lower concentrations of orthophosphate P and nucleic acid P. The relative P allocation to each fraction was largely invariant among sites, except for higher relative P allocation to lipid P at the low-P undisturbed site than at the high-P site. This fraction (which includes P found in cell membranes) was negatively correlated with net photosynthetic rate per unit P and positively correlated with leaf dry mass per unit area. This suggests a potential trade-off in P allocation to photosynthesis versus to cellular structure. In this presentation I will discuss how leaf P fractions vary with plant ecological strategy along soil P gradients.