AbstractVegetation restoration is one of the important methods of land reclamation in the field of mining. In order to study the interspecific associations of plants and soil factors affecting the stability of plant communities in the process of vegetation restoration, we surveyed plant communities as well as their habitats in Antaibao Mine, Shanxi. The communities and habitat were investigated at three different scales: 10 m×10 m quadrats for trees, 4 m×4 m for shrubs, and 1 m×1 m for grasses and herbs. Continuity corrected χ2 test, and Spearman rank correlation were employed to analyze the association among the common species in different plant communities, and grey incidence recognition was used to identify soil factors that affected community stability. The results showed that, dominated by xerophytes, this grassland community was poor in species richness. In this community, some species were associated, while others were independent. In the thicket community, which was also dominated by xerophytes, there was a positive association of overall species. The occurrence of some mesophytes as well as the positive association with the dominant species indicated that the community was in positive succession. In the forest community, there was also a positive association among overall species, indicating the community was in a relatively steady stage in recovering succession. The influence of soil factors ranked in the following order: soil organic matter > N > P> K> Cu> Mn > pH > Zn>EC. In conclusion, compared with shrubs and grasslands, the present forest community is better adapted to the special habitats in Antaibao Mine, and soil organic matter content is a key factor determining the stability of plant communities.