Subject: Re: INDICATOR PLANTS - REPLY - dirk.txt [1/1]

From: [email-masked] (Lars Magnusson)
Date: 4 Jan 1995 19:30:58 GMT

Dirk Lamprecht ([email-masked]) wrote:
: In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Joachim Schuering) says:
: >
: >I am interested in the use of plants as indicators for for geological and
......
: I once heard that in Zambia there is a specific flower growing on copper rich soils.
: Have never seen one.

: We have a succulent in our garden which is supposed to extract heavy metals out of the soils. I still have to confirm it by doing 

Here in Sweden there is a coppermine Viscaria (some 10 k's from Kiruna
ironmine). That was found with help of a small arctic(?) flower with the
latin name Viscaria something. I have a vauge memory that Greenland 
Geological Survey (Vaster Farimaggade ??, Copenhagen, Denmark), were
using differents biological indicators, during a period in the mid-80:ies,
as well as some of the other nordic geo-surveys. Since I left geoscience 
at that time, my recollection is a bit blurred concerning bio-prospecting.

But You'll should be able to find people within the nordic geo-surveys,
try [email-masked] to see if they can forward any inquiries. GGU is
to my knowledge not on the net, specially if they have moved up to Greenland
during the last 2 years. 

Lars M

---

From: [email-masked] ("Brian Ford")
Date: Wed, 4 Jan 1995 19:52:20 GMT

I've published on the removal of heavy metals from soils by plants; this 
isn't "indicator" research but does interest me in species tolerant of 
metallic ions (including copper, cadmium, lead).

Brian J Ford.

---

From: [email-masked] (F. Jacot Guillarmod)
Date: 5 Jan 1995 08:09:58 +0200

In <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Joachim Schuering) writes:

>I am interested in the use of plants as indicators for for geological and
>hydrological conditions. The mapping of plant communities may give clues
>to soil density, water and nutrient content etc.

Oldenburgia arbuscula, a small tree up to 4 or 5 metres in height is
endemic to the Eastern Cape province of South Africa and is always
associated with outcrops of Witteberg quartzite, following the strata
closely.

It is a member of the daisy family, and is commonly known as "rabbits
ears".  There is some demand for the woolly leaves amongst florists,
but unfortunately there isn't a whole lot of interesting stuff
associated with the quartzite.

Another indicator plant is the Hydrangea - plants grown in acid conditions
produce blue flowers,  while those growing in alkaline conditions
produce pink flowers.

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