Heavy Metals Accumulation in Some Plants of Spontaneous Flora in Correlation with Soil Composition

This paper presents the results of a study about the characterisation of heavy metal microelement content of three plant species present in the Romanian spontaneous flora, namely: Origanum vulgare, Vaccinium myrtillus L., and Tribulus terrestris. FAAS and ICP-OES methods were used for determination of both total and mobile forms metal concentrations, after calcinations in the oven or microwave digestion. To determine the concentrations of Fe and Zn in Origanum vulgare samples, an interlaboratory study was performed. A consensus value between the test participants was chosen as the assigned value. Pb and Cd concentrations in plant samples were also determined. To correlate the concentration values of Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Pb and Cd in both plant and soil samples from the harvesting area, the soil analysis was performed. Linear correlations between the metal concentrations determined in Origanum Vulgare plants and their concentrations in soil samples were obtained.