Zinc, lead, and cadmium tolerance and accumulation in <i>Cistus libanotis, Cistus albidus</i>, and <i>Cistus salviifolius</i>: Perspectives on phytoremediation

Abstract Heavy metal contamination is of particular concern for human health and the environment. Phytoremediation is an emerging cost‐effective strategy to remediate heavy metal contaminated soil. However, this technique is limited by the small number of plants that are tolerant to heavy metals and are also accumulators. This study assayed zinc, lead, and cadmium tolerance and accumulation in Cistus libanotis, Cistus albidus , and Cistus salviifolius . The plants were cultivated in hydroponic conditions and exposed to different concentrations of Pb(NO 3 ) 2 (100 and 200 µM), ZnSO 4 (100 and 200 µM), or CdCl 2 (10 and 20 µM) for 3 weeks. Plant biomass and metal accumulation in roots and aboveground parts varied greatly among the species. All three species appeared to be sensitive to Zn. However, C. albidus displayed strong tolerance to Pb and accumulated large quantities of Pb and Cd in its roots. C. libanotis accumulated large quantities of Pb and Cd in its aboveground parts. C. libanotis can thus be classified as a Pb and Cd accumulator species. The study results show that C. albidus is suitable for phytostabilization of Pb‐contaminated soils, while C. libanotis can be used for phytoextraction of both Pb and Cd.