Objective  This paper aims to screen out the pioneer plants that can adapt to the habitat characteristics such as large slope angle, barrenness and aridity of coal gangue piles in North China, and build a stable vegetation community to solve the environmental problems such as soil erosion, re-ignition and dust emission caused by the lack of vegetation cover in acidic coal gangue piles.

  Method  14 dominant species of herbaceous plants commonly used in land reclamation and those native to North China were analyzed and compared by field experiments using life cycle, cover, significance value and ecological position width as indicators.

  Result  The artificially introduced Medicago sativa and Astragalus dahuricus can adapt well to the habitat of the coal gangue pile, and maintain an advantageous position in the vegetation community on the reclaimed slope, with a life cycle of more than 7 months, the maximum sub-coverage of 33.93% and 17.59%, but from June to September, the cover decreased significantly. Among the native species, Artemisia capillaris had a wider ecological position, with the highest cover in July and September, and the maximum sub-coverage of 12.67, can make up for the lack of Medicago sativa and Astragalus dahuricus in the summer cover is lower.

  Conclusion  The above three herbaceous plants can be used as the pioneer species for the future vegetation restoration in the coal gangue piles.