A study was carried out to investigate mechanisms of the removal and accumulation of phenanthrene and pyrene by Zea Mays L. Pot experiment was conducted with a series of concentrations of phenanthrene and pyrene in a greenhouse. The results showed that maize significantly removed phenanthrene and pyrene from soils. At the end of the 60-day experiment, the extractable phenanthrene and pyrene were lower in planted soil than in non-planted soil. About 69.76%～91.16% of phenan-threne and 76.97%～88.37% of pyrene were removed from the soils, respectively. As compared to control 1 (with addition of NaN₃), maize removed on average 63.56% of phenanthrene and 72.27% of pyrene from the soils and relative to control 2 (without NaN₃), 15.13% of phenanthrene and 38.15% of pyrene were removed. Maize did take up PAHs from the soils, and generally the higher the concentration of PAH in soil, the more maize took up. Bioconcentration factors (BCFs) for phenanthrene and pyrene tended to decrease with increasing concentrations of the contaminants in soil, and the BCFs for pyrene were large than those for phenanthrene. The BCFs for phenanthrene in shoots were 0.79～2.45 (leaves) and 0.17～1.76 (stems), higher than in roots (0.42～1.21) in the same treatment. However, the BCFs for pyrene in shoots were 1.03～3.31 (leaves) and 0.2～2.17 (stems), much lower than in roots (2.07～6.40). Maize can grow in soils higher in PAHs, and accumulate phenanthrene and pyrene. The results indicate that removal of PAHs from contaminated soils by Zea mays L may be a feasible approach to remediation of the soils.