Abstract: Objective To measure the dust retention and heavy metal absorption ability of 9 common landscaping tree species in the industrial area of Simen Town of Zhejiang Province and to determine the differences among common landscaping trees in purifying air and improving the environment quality. Method The foliar dust retention, the heavy metal content in leaves, and the correlation between the dust retention and metal content in leaves of 9 landscaping tree species grown in three functional areas (industrial area, commercial and traffic area, and the leisure and entertainment area) were investigated. Result (1) The dust retention ability varied significantly among the 9 tree species grown in the same environment. Nerium indicum, Pittosporum tobira and Lagerstroemia indica showed better in dust retention than the other species. (2) The foliar dust retention and heavy metal content of the same tree species varied greatly among different functional areas. The dust quantity and heavy metal content in a unit area increased with the air dust in different functional area. (3) The heavy metals in foliar dust had high homology in each functional area, suggesting that the atmospheric dust and traffic emissions are the main source of heavy metals. Conclusion This study provides some useful information on the selection of landscaping tree species for improving the urban air quality.