The plant species composition and their ability to accumulate heavy metals were investigated at three contaminated sites in Xiangxi area, Southern China. The concentrations of Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cu in more than 363 samples of 125 plant species were analyzed in the present study. The average concentrations of Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cu in the plants were 19, 81, 637, and 8 mg kg(-1), respectively. The highest concentration of Cd in above-ground plant tissues was found to be 287 mg kg(-1) in the leaves of Lobelia chinensis Lour, at the Datianwan site, followed by Solamim nigrum L. with 99 mg kg(-1) Cd in the leaves. They might be potential Cd hyperaccumulators. At the three contaminated sites, some dominant and relative dominant species with high accumulation potential of metals, such as Kalimeris indice (L.) Sch.-Bip. and Solanum nigrum L., might be suitable for use in the phytoextraction of contaminated soils. The dominant and relative dominant species with low accumulation of metals and dense fibrous root systems, such as Imperata cylindrical (L.) Beauv. var. major C. E. and Miscanthus floridulus (Labill.) Warb., might be suitable for stabilizing such metal contaminated sites.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.