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Metallophyte
A metallophyte is a plant that can tolerate high levels of heavy metals such as lead. Such plants range between "obligate metallophytes" (which can only survive in the presence of these metals), and "facultative metallophytes" which can tolerate such conditions but are not confined to them. European examples include alpine pennycress (''Thlaspi caerulescens''), the zinc violet (''Viola calaminaria''), spring sandwort ('' Minuartia verna''), sea thrift (''Armeria maritima''), ''Cochlearia'', common bent (''Agrostis capillaris'') and plantain ('' Plantago lanceolata''). Few metallophytes are known from Latin America. Metallophytes commonly exist as specialised flora found on spoil heaps of mines. Such plants have potential for use for phytoremediation of contaminated ground. See also *Hyperaccumulator A hyperaccumulator is a plant capable of growing in soil or water with very high concentrations of metals, absorbing these metals through their roots, and concentrating extremely high ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hyperaccumulator
A hyperaccumulator is a plant capable of growing in soil or water with very high concentrations of metals, absorbing these metals through their roots, and concentrating extremely high levels of metals in their tissues. The metals are concentrated at levels that are toxic to closely related species not adapted to growing on the metalliferous soils. Compared to non-hyperaccumulating species, hyperaccumulator roots extract the metal from the soil at a higher rate, transfer it more quickly to their shoots, and store large amounts in leaves and roots. The ability to hyperaccumulate toxic metals compared to related species has been shown to be due to differential gene expression and regulation of the same genes in both plants. Hyperaccumulating plants are of interest for their ability to extract metals from the soils of contaminated sites (phytoremediation) to return the ecosystem to a less toxic state. The plants also hold potential to be used to mine metals from soils with very high c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phytoremediation
Phytoremediation technologies use living plants to clean up soil, air and water contaminated with hazardous contaminants. It is defined as "the use of green plants and the associated microorganisms, along with proper soil amendments and agronomic techniques to either contain, remove or render toxic environmental contaminants harmless". The term is an amalgam of the Greek ''phyto'' (plant) and Latin ''remedium'' (restoring balance). Although attractive for its cost, phytoremediation has not been demonstrated to redress any significant environmental challenge to the extent that contaminated space has been reclaimed. Phytoremediation is proposed as a cost-effective plant-based approach of environmental remediation that takes advantage of the ability of plants to concentrate elements and compounds from the environment and to detoxify various compounds. The concentrating effect results from the ability of certain plants called hyperaccumulators to bioaccumulate chemicals. The remediat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Hyperaccumulators
This article covers known hyperaccumulators, accumulators or species tolerant to the following: Aluminium (Al), Silver (Ag), Arsenic (As), Beryllium (Be), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Manganese (Mn), Mercury (Hg), Molybdenum (Mo), Naphthalene, Lead (Pb), Selenium (Se) and Zinc (Zn). See also: * Hyperaccumulators table – 2 : Nickel * Hyperaccumulators table – 3 : Cd, Cs, Co, Pu, Ra, Sr, U, radionuclides, hydrocarbons, organic solvents, etc. Hyperaccumulators table – 1 Cs-137 activity was much smaller in leaves of larch and sycamore maple than of spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfam ...: spruce > larch > sycamore maple. References {{DEFAULTSORT:Hyperaccumulators +01 Hyperaccumulators, +01 Pollution control technologies Lists of plants Scien ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heavy Metal (chemistry)
upright=1.2, Crystals of osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead">lead.html" ;"title="osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead">osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead Heavy metals are generally defined as metals with relatively high density, densities, atomic weights, or atomic numbers. The criteria used, and whether metalloids are included, vary depending on the author and context. In metallurgy, for example, a heavy metal may be defined on the basis of density, whereas in physics the distinguishing criterion might be atomic number, while a chemist would likely be more concerned with chemical property, chemical behaviour. More specific definitions have been published, but none of these have been widely accepted. The definitions surveyed in this article encompass up to 96 out of the 118 known chemical elements; only mercury, lead and bismuth meet all of them. Despite this lack of agreement, the term (plural or singular) is widely used in s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, lead is a shiny gray with a hint of blue. It tarnishes to a dull gray color when exposed to air. Lead has the highest atomic number of any stable element and three of its isotopes are endpoints of major nuclear decay chains of heavier elements. Lead is toxic, even in small amounts, especially to children. Lead is a relatively unreactive post-transition metal. Its weak metallic character is illustrated by its amphoteric nature; lead and lead oxides react with acids and bases, and it tends to form covalent bonds. Compounds of lead are usually found in the +2 oxidation state rather than the +4 state common with lighter members of the carbon group. Exceptions are mostly limited to organolead compounds. Like the lighter members of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thlaspi Caerulescens
''Thlaspi caerulescens'', the Alpine Penny-cress or alpine pennygrass, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is found in Scandinavia and Europe. Description ''Thlaspi caerulescens'' is a low biennial or perennial plant that has small basal rosettes of stalked elliptic–lanceolate leaves with entire margins. The one or more flowering stems have small stalkless, alternate leaves clasping the stem. The inflorescence is a dense raceme which continues to lengthen after flowering. The individual flowers are regular, with white or pinkish petals and are about wide. Each has four sepals, four petals, six stamens (four long and two short) with violet anthers, and a single carpel. The fruit is many-seeded and narrowly spatulate and has a notched tip. This plant flowers in late spring. Distribution and habitat In Europe it is found in Finland and Sweden, in all but the most northerly regions. It is also found in the Alps, the Massif Central, the Pyrenees, eastern Norway, sou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Viola Calaminaria
''Viola lutea'' subsp. ''calaminaria'' ( synonym ''Viola calaminaria'') is a subspecies of ''V. lutea'', in the violet family, the Violaceae. The plant occurs from Kelmis (''La Calamine'' in French) in the Belgian province of Liège across the borders to Germany and the Netherlands. The plant has adapted to an excess of zinc in the tailings of a former mines, the heaps of stone left over after separating the valuable fraction of ore. By evolving the ability to cope with the toxic heavy metal pollution, this violet has gained an advantage over the other plants in the ecosystem, as is able to become the locally dominant floral component of such habitats. Taxonomy Although it had been reduced to a subspecies in 1986 already, local national species lists preferred to recognise the varieties as locally endemic species, but genetic research in 2006 made this position untenable. Mining for zinc began in earnest regionally in the Roman era, and this violet would most likely have mut ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minuartia Verna
''Minuartia verna'' is a scarce species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, known by the common names spring sandwort and leadwort. It is a small mat-forming, perennial herb. Some authorities consider it a synonym of '' Sabulina verna''. It has a Eurasian Boreal-montane distribution, typically found on Carboniferous limestone Carboniferous Limestone is a collective term for the succession of limestones occurring widely throughout Great Britain and Ireland that were deposited during the Dinantian Epoch of the Carboniferous Period. These rocks formed between 363 and ... ground. It grows in short grassland, on exposed limestone pavement, on scree slopes and on metal-rich soils, including spoil heaps from lead mining. The small (7–9 mm across), 5-petalled flowers appear on short, downy stems from spring until late summer. The slender leaves have 3 veins. References verna Flora of the United Kingdom {{Caryophyllaceae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Armeria Maritima
''Armeria maritima'', the thrift, sea thrift or sea pink, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plumbaginaceae. It is a compact evergreen perennial which grows in low clumps and sends up long stems that support globes of bright pink flowers. In some cases purple, white or red flowers also occur. It is a popular garden flower and has been distributed worldwide as a garden and cut flower. It does well in gardens designed as xeriscapes or rock gardens. The Latin specific epithet ''maritima'' means pertaining to the sea or coastal. Subspecies * ''Armeria maritima'' subsp. ''azorica'', Franco * ''Armeria maritima'' subsp. ''californica'', synonym: ''California Seapink'' *''Armeria maritima'' subsp. ''elongata'', synonym: ''Tall Thrift,'' Gaston Bonnier. *''Armeria maritima'' subsp. ''maritima'' *''Armeria maritima'' subsp. ''purpurea,'' synonym: ''Armeria purpurea'' W.D.J.Koch, (W.D.J.Koch) Á.Löve and D.Löve *''Armeria maritima'' subsp. ''sibirica'', synonym: ''Sibe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cochlearia
''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in coastal regions, on cliff-tops and salt marshes where their high tolerance of salt enables them to avoid competition from larger, but less salt-tolerant plants; they also occur in alpine habitats in mountains and tundra. They form low, rounded or creeping plants, typically 5–20 cm tall. The leaves are smoothly rounded, roughly spoon-shaped (the scientific name ''Cochlearia'' derives from the Latinized form, ''cocleare'', of the Greek κοχλιάριον, ''kokhliárion'', a spoon; this a diminutive of κόχλος, ''kókhlos'', seashell), or in some species, lobed; typically 1–5 cm long, and with a fleshy texture. The flowers are white with four petals and are borne in short racemes. Selected species About 30 species are usu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agrostis Capillaris
''Agrostis capillaris'', the common bent, colonial bent, or browntop, is a rhizomatous and stoloniferous perennial in the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to Eurasia and has been widely introduced in many parts of the world. Colonial bent grows in moist grasslands and open meadows, and can also be found in agricultural areas, roadsides, and invading disturbed areas. The name '' Agrostis'' comes from the Greek word meaning forage plant, ''agros'' meaning "a field". It is found growing in neutral to acidic soils. It has a very fine texture and like most bent grasses grows very dense. Although this species is used on golf courses, providing some of the best ball playing surfaces in the world, it also produces a spectacular visual appearance when maintained properly. It provides an excellent home lawn but is not tolerant of heavy use. Colonial bent is fairly easy to grow from seeds and fertilization of the lawn is not as intense. This grass also takes longer to establish t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plantago Lanceolata
''Plantago lanceolata'' is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. It is known by the common names ribwort plantain, narrowleaf plantain, English plantain, ribleaf, lamb's tongue, and buckhorn. It is a common weed on cultivated or disturbed land. Description The plant is a rosette-forming perennial herb, with leafless, silky, hairy flower stems (). The basal leaves are lanceolate spreading or erect, scarcely toothed with 3-5 strong parallel veins narrowed to a short petiole. The flower stalk is deeply furrowed, ending in an ovoid inflorescence of many small flowers each with a pointed bract. Each inflorescence can produce up to two hundred seeds. Flowers are ( calyx green, corolla brownish), 4 bent back lobes with brown midribs and long white stamens. It is native to temperate Eurasia, widespread throughout the British Isles, but scarce on the most acidic soils ( pH < 4.5). It is present and widespread in the Americas and Australia as an |
