Plant long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in a wide range of biological processes, especially in plant reproductive development and response to stresses. They are transcribed by RNA polymerase (Pol II), Pol III and Pol V, and exert their functions by a variety of regulation pathways. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge of lncRNAs discoveries in plant, including their identification, functions and regulation pathways as well as production and mediators, with an emphasizing on the novel regulation mechanisms in plant development. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.