• Fire Phoenix plants were able to grow in soils containing low or high Σ4PAHs. • Fungi from four genera were highly enriched in Fire Phoenix rhizosphere. • Aspergillus , Mortierella , Geomyces and Humicola might be main PAHs degraders. • PAHs were removed by 75.2% or 78.8% from the low or high Σ4PAH soil. • Degradation was likely via cytochrome P450 monooxygenase and ligninases. Soil contamination by high-molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HMW-PAHs) is a challenging problem worldwide. Bioremediation is a safe and cost-effective way of abating HMW-PAHs. The present study was designed to investigate the potential of microbes in the rhizosphere of Fire Phoenix plants in biodegradation of HMW-PAHs in a pot-culture experiment. Plant growth, removal rates of PAHs, phospholipid fatty acids, and fungal community composition were determined in soils devoid of PAHs or containing a low or a high level of PAHs after 0, 60, 120, and 150 days of experiment initiation. Results showed that plants were able to continuously grow in the contaminated soils during a 150-day experiment. The biodegradation rates in low and high ∑4PAH (four compounds: pyrene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, and benzo(k)fluoranthene) soils with plants were 75.2% and 78.8%, which were 21.8% and 28.0% higher than the control soils without plants, respectively. The soil microbial analysis showed that the growth of Fire Phoenix led to the shift of soil microbial community structure by promoting the growth of fungi in four dominant genera: Aspergillus , Mortierella , Geomyces , and Humicola , which could play an important role in PAHs degradation. Based on the results from this study and other relevant reports, schematic metabolic pathways for microbe-mediated degradation of PAHs in the Fire Phoenix rhizosphere soils were proposed, which include cytochrome P450 monooxygenase pathway, ligninolytic pathway, and dioxygenase pathway. Our study showed that the beneficial interactions between Fire Phoenix and soil microbes, fungi in particular, represent a viable way of reducing HMW-PAHs from contaminated soils.