Oiltea camellia （Camellia oleifera Abel.）, an aluminium （Al） hyperaccumulator, grows well on acid soils in tropical or subtropical areas. In this study, the growth of oiltea camellia in response to Al application and the characteristics of Al uptake and accumulation were investigated using laboratory and field experiments. The growth of oiltea camellia seedlings in the nutrient solution tended to be stimulated by addition of Al. Results of the field experiment showed that oiltea camellia accumulated 11 000 mg kg-1 Al in leaves within 10 months, and the average rate of Al accumulation in new leaves was about 1100 mg kg-1 month-1; however, the monthly rate varied and was highest in spring and autumn. The results of the laboratory experiment on Al uptake by oiltea camellia seedlings in CaC12 solutions with various forms of Al showed that large amounts of Al supplied as Al3＋ and Al complexes Al-malate （1：1） and Al-F （1：1） were infiuxed into oiltea camellia roots, whereas Al supplied as Al-citrate （1：1）, Al-F （1：6）, Al-oxalate （1：3）, and Al-oxalate （1：1） complexes exhibited low affinity to oiltea camellia roots. The kinetics of Al3＋ cumulative uptake in excised roots and intact plants showed a biphasic pattern, with an initial rapid phase followed by a slow phase. The Al cumulative uptake was unaffected by low temperature, which indicated that Al uptake in oiltea camellia was a passive process. The efficient influx of Al into the roots and the high transport rate in specific seasons were presumed to account for the plentiful Al accumulation in leaves of oiltea camellia.
A co-culture of two plant materials, Astragalus sinicus L., a leguminous plant with concomitant nodules, and Elsholtzia splendens Naki-a Cu accumulator, along with treatments of a chelating agent (EDTA), root excretions (citric acid), and a control with E. splendens only were used to compare the mobility of heavy metals in chelating agents with a co-culture and to determine the potential for co-culture phytoremediation in heavy metal contaminated soils. The root uptake for Cu, Zn, and Pb in all treatments was significantly greater (P ＜ 0.05) than that of the control treatment. However with translocation in the shoots, only Cu, Zn, and Pb in plants grown with the EDTA treatment and Zn in plants cocropped with the A. sinicus treatment increased significantly (P ＜ 0.05). In addition, when a co-culture in soils with heavy and moderate contamination was compared, for roots in moderately contaminated soils only Zn concentration was significantly less (P ＜ 0.05) than that of heavily contaminated soils, however, Cu, Zn, and Pb concentrations of shoots were all significantly lower (P ＜ 0.05). Overall, this 'co-culture engineering' could be as effective as or even more effective than chelating agents, thereby preventing plant metal toxicity and metal leaching in soils as was usually observed in chelate-enhanced phytoremediation.
