Through field surveys, sampling and laboratory analysis, we investigated the adaptability and restoration potential of Quercus nuttallii and Quercus phellos grown in a lead and zinc mining area in Linwu county, Chenzhou, Hunan province. After the one-year-old seedlings of Q. nuttallii and Q. phellos were planted in mining contaminated soil for one year, the plant height, stem diameter and biomass of each plant species were recorded, and the metal concentrations in plant tissues and the rhizosphere soil were determined as well. Results showed that the soil was polluted by Cd, Pb, Zn and As with high heterogeneity. Single pollution index and Nemerow index were used to evaluate the pollution degree of different plots. We found that tailing ponds in zone A (P_N=20.08) and zone B (P_N=3.14) were severely polluted, zone C (P_N=2.43) was moderately polluted, while zone D (P_N=1.55) and E (P_N=1.07) were slightly polluted. Q. nuttallii and Q. phellos grew well in the above-contaminated plots. Plant height, stem diameter and biomass were negatively correlated with composite pollution index and heavy metal level. Q. nuttallii had a high bioconcentration factor (BCF) for Cd, the BCF in zones A, B and E were 6.27-8.37, 3.67-4.38 and 42.93-52.75, respectively, which was significantly higher than those of Q. phellos in zones C and D (1.79-2.15, 0.89-1.07). Both Q. nuttallii and Q. phellos had high transport capacity for Zn, with the translocation factor (TF) values of 1.79 and 2.28 in zone B and E, and in zone A with moderate Zn pollution being 0.43. Q. nuttallii and Q. phellos showed stronger heavy metal tolerance, higher bioenrichment ability for Cd, and higher transport capacity for Zn. Q. nuttallii could accumulate more heavy metals and could become an ideal vegetation restoration and ecological restoration tree species for soil contaminated by the Cd, Pb, Zn, As in the mining area in subtropical zone in China.