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
''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 ver ...
''), sea thrift (''
Armeria maritima''), ''
Cochlearia'', common bent (''
Agrostis capillaris'') and plantain (''
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 c ...
''). 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
*
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, Lea ...
*
Calaminarian grassland Calaminarian grassland is grassland where the process of seral succession has been halted due to the toxicity of soils containing high levels of toxic metal ions. These habitats may be semi-natural on naturally exposed deposits, or the result of m ...
References
{{reflist
Ecology terminology
Plants by adaptation