【Objective】 ABA is a key hormone for drought stress in plants. Differential metabolites and their associated pathways of ABA-mediated dehydrated response in the isolated branches of Salix matsudana were revealed by metabolomics analysis, which provided the research basis and the theoretical basis for the response to drought stress in S. matsudana. 【Methods】The authors investigated the differential response of the xylem metabolomes of the S. matsudana branches dehydrated to the different water potentials after soaked in the sodium tungstate solution, an inhibitor of ABA synthesis, using the isolated branches of S. matsudana as materials. 【Results】 Compared with the deionized water-soaked non-dehydrated branches, the dehydrated to P50 water potential branches: The abscisic acid content was significantly increased by 4.25 times, and the content of the soluble sugars such as D-fructose was significantly increased along with the content of amino acids such as histidine. ABA synthesis inhibitor-soaked branches compared to deionized water-soaked branches: The content of abscisic acid was significantly reduced by 3.82 times, and the content of the soluble sugars such as D-1,5-defructose and amino acids such as phenylalanine was significantly reduced after soaked in the inhibitor of ABA synthesis. Plant hormone signal transduction, carotenoid biosynthesis and starch and sucrose metabolism pathways were the key pathways in the dehydrated response of S. matsudana branches. 【Conclusion】 In the S. matsudana branches after dehydration, the ABA content increased significantly, which mediated the starch hydrolysis process and other processes to reduce the osmotic potential of cells in response to the drought stress.