Pteris vittata

Natarajan, S., Stamps, R.H., Saha, U.K., and Ma, L.Q., Phytofiltration of arsenic-contaminated ground-water using Pteris Vittata L. Effect of plant density and nitrogen and phosphorus levels, International Journal of Phytoremediation, 10 (3), 222-235, 2008. 

However, some plants can accumulate more than 0.1% of Pb, Co, Cr, and more than 1% of Mn, Ni and Zn in the shoots. These accumulator plants are called hyperaccumulators. To date, there are approximately 400 known metal hyperaccumulator plants in the world (Baker and Walker, 1989). Thlaspi caerulescens, Alyssum murale, A. lesbiacum, A. tenium are Zn and Cd hyperaccumulators. Brassica juncea, a high-biomass plant, can accumulate Pb, Cr(III), Cd, Cu, Ni, Zn, Sr, B and Se. Thlaspi caerulescens accumulates Ni. Hybrid poplar trees are reported to phytoremediate Cd and As contaminated soils. A Chinese brake fem, Pteris vittata, is an As hyperaccumulator (Ma et al., 2001). 

The list we have presented is far from complete, and is developing as our knowledge of the plant kingdom increases. A recent exciting discovery has been Ma et al. s (2001) description of the fern Pteris vittata, which hyper-accumulates arsenic, and thus may be developed as a phytoremediation technology for this particularly dangerous pollutant. 

Fitz, W.J., Wenzel, W.W., Zhang, H. et al. (2003) Rhizosphere characteristics of the arsenic hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata L. and monitoring of phytoremoval efficiency. Environmental Science and Technology, 37(21), 5008-14. 

Bondada, B. and Ma, L.Q. 2003. Tolerance of heavy metals in vascular plants Arsenic hyperaccumulation by Chinese brake fem (Pteris vittata L.). In Chandra S. and Siivastava M. (eds), Pteridology in the New Millennium. Kluwer Academy Publishers, the Netherlands, pp. 397--f20. 

Ellis, D.R., Gumaelius, L., Indriolo, E., Pickering, I.J., Banks, J.A., and Salt, D.E. 2006. A novel arsenate reductase from the arsenic hyperaccumulating fern Pteris vittata. Plant Physiology, 141 1544-54. 

Kertulis-Tartar, G.M., Ma, L.Q., Tu, C., and Chirenje, T. 2006. Phytoremediation of an arsenic-contaminated site using Pteris vittata L. A two-year study. International Journal of Phytoremediation, 8 311-22. 

Rathinasabapathi, B., Wu, S., Sundaram, S., Rivoal, J., Srivastava, M., and Ma, L.Q. 2006. Arsenic resistance in Pteris vittata L. Identification of a cytosolic triosephosphate isomerase based on cDNA expression cloning in Escherichia coli. Plant Molecular Biology, 62 845-57. 

Salido, A.L., Hasty, K.L., Lim, J.-M., Butcher, D.J. 2003. Phytoremediation of arsenic and lead in contaminated soil using Chinese brake ferns (Pteris vittata) and Indian mustard (Brassica juncea). International Journal of Phytoremediation, 5(2) 89-103. 

Sundaram, S., Rathinasabapathi, B., Ma, L.Q., and Rosen, B.P. 2008. An arsenate-activated glutaredoxin from the arsenic hyperaccumulator fern Pteris vittata L. regulates intracellular arsenite. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 283 6095-101. 

Wang, J., Zhao, F.J., Meharg, A.A., Raab, A., Feldmann, J., and McGrath, S.P. 2002. Mechanisms of arsenic hyperaccumulation in Pteris vittata. Uptake kinetics, interactions with phosphate, and arsenic speciation. Plant Physiology, 130 1552-61. 

They rapidly take up the element at levels that occur in the soil solution. Hyperaccumulators often require higher solution and leaf concentrations of the element to grow normally (e.g., T. caerulescens) and, in some cases, toxic elements may even enhance the growth of the plant (e.g., Pteris. vittata L.) (Ma et al., 2001). 

Arsenic contaminated soil can be effectively cleaned by planting the Chinese ladder fern (Pteris vittata) that absorbs the arsenic while growing quickly. 

Lenna Ma and Pteris vittata—called the brake fern. 

Fig. 1. Pteris vittata L. general characteristics [21] (A) habit (B and -C) rhizome scales (D) detail of the cells of a rhizome scale (E) stipe (F) detail of non-articnlated pinnae (G) costa, abaxial view showing scales (H) venation of the sterile lamina (1) venation and pseudoindusinm of the fertile lamina (J) detail of the venation and pseudoindusium.

Fig. 2. Scanning electron microscope of the Pteris vittata L (A) abaxial surface of a pinna showing hairs, stomata, costa, secondary veins, and free venation pattern (500X) (B) detail of abaxial surface of a pinna showing stomata and epidermal cells (2000X) (C) general view of the trilete spores (1500X) (D) detail of a trilete spore and its surface (4500X) having large areoles on the distal face and a well-developed equatorial flange.

Fig. 6. Removal of soluble arsenic species by Pteris vittata L. after a 90-day equilibration period under controlled redox and pH conditions (pH 7.0 for -200, 0, 200, and 400 mV).

Satake T, Murakami T, Saiki Y, Chen C-M 1978 Chemische Untersuchungen der Inhaltsstoffe von Pteris vittata L. Chem Pharm Bull 26 1619-1622... 

---