The study object was the typical tree species of photinia leaves in Huainan, samples were collected from six different functional areas to analyze the distribution characteristics and sources of Cr, Ni, Cu, Pb and Zn in photinia leaves and their directive role in air pollution. The results showed that the average concentrations of Pb and Zn in leaves of commercial traffic area were significantly higher than those of park green land (P < 0.05), and even were 2.95 and 1.78 times of the park green space, respectively. The average concentration of Cu in leaves of coal transportation area was significantly higher than that of the residential area (P < 0.05) and park green (P < 0.05), and was 2.30 and 2.81 times of the residential and park areas, respectively. However, the differences of Ni and Cr in the different functional areas were not statistically significant. The Pb and Zn in photinia leaves mainly came from traffic emissions, Cu mainly came from coal mining, coal-fired power generation and transportation, Ni and Cr primarily from natural sources. There were significant correlations between the concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn in leaves and the total contents of Cu, Pb and Zn in leaf dust, indicating that the concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn in photinia leaves were significantly affected by their contents in leaf dust. The Cu, Pb and Zn in the photinia leaves were mainly absorbed from the atmosphere, while Ni and Cr from the soil. Thus, the monitoring of Cu, Pb and Zn in the atmosphere by photinia leaves could achieve good results for air pollution.