Open pit coal mining is the current source of substantial low-cost energy in China, but it has also caused major ecological and environmental issues. In the arid area of the East Junggar basin in Xinjiang, coal dust produced by open-pit mining not only affects the regional atmosphere, but also affects the physiological growth of nearby plants, to some extent. To determine the physiological effects of coal dust on surrounding plants, the Li-6400XT Portable Photosynthesis System was used to measure the photosynthetic parameters of Ulmus pumila L., Haloxylon ammodendron (C.A.Mey.) Bunge, and Tamarix chinensis Lour. under dust and dust-free conditions during the 2017 growing season. A field control trials was used to obtain light response curves for the three species in the vicinity of the coal mine. Plant samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Our major results were as follows: (1) Coal dust cover had an obvious effect on the three species. (2) Net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate of the coal-dust groups under different illumination intensities were reduced. Net photosynthetic rate in the coal-dust groups decreased from T. chinensis (18.6%) < H. ammodendron (28.3%) < U. pumila (30.7%). Stomatal conductance rates in the coal-dust groups decreased from H. ammodendron (24.1%) < T. chinensis (30.9%) < U. pumila (33.2%). Transpiration rates in the coal-dust groups decreased from H. ammodendron (16.7%) < U. pumila (18%) < T. chinensis (39.1%). (3) The influence of coal dust on U. pumila was mainly attributed to non-stomatal limitation, and the effects on H. ammodendron and T. chinensis should be examined further. Therefore, dust produced by open-pit coal mining affects the photosynthetic physiological processes of neighboring plants to some extent, thereby inhibiting plant growth, and long-term discharge may lead to a decrease in vegetation coverage.