Metal mining gives access to very important resources but contributes to severe and diverse environmental problems. Until recently, little has been known about the remediation of mining sites in Latin America using metallophytes. The present study was designed to identify and characterize spontaneously growing heavy metal tolerant plant species in the area around the polymetallic Carolina mine in Hualgayoc (Cajamarca, Peru). The aim was to find species that are potentially useful for phytoremediation. Plants and soils were sampled and analysed for concentrations of As, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn and Ti. The Translocation Factor (TF) and the Bioaccumulation Factor (BF) were determined and used to measure the amount of each element accumulated in shoots and roots of each plant species. The top soil had a neutral pH (7.4 ± 0.5), an organic carbon content of 24 ± 11 g kg− 1 and a loam texture. Accor...

Heavy metal toxicity has become a global concern due to the ever-increasing contamination of soil, water and crops. Until recent decades little has been known about the remediation of mining sites using spontaneous plants in Latin America. Soil and plant samples were taken in Peru, at a polymetallic mine (mainly silver, lead and copper) in Cajamarca Province, Hualgayoc district. Top soils (0-20cm) were analyzed for physical and chemical properties by standard methods. Total Pb and Zn concentrations in top soils were determined by ICP-OES. Similar metals in plants were analyzed separately (aerial and root system). Ti content was used as an indicator for contamination of plant samples with soil particles. Translocation Factor (TF) and Shoot Accumulation Factor (SAF) were determined to assess the tolerance strategies developed by these species and to evaluate their potential for phytoremedi...