North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Diane Whitehead <voltaire@islandnet.com>]

Last week there was a short article in the Toronto Globe and Mail 
wondering why research done at the University of Guelph in 1999 
hadn't been put to use yet. The quotes are presumably from the 
research report, but the citation wasn't given.
----------------------------------------
excerpts from Stephen Strauss article "Flower Power Missing"

The lemon-scented geranium "will offer significant improvements to 
the environment" because of its "uncanny ability to absorb metal and 
organic pollutants."

After the geranium sucked up cadmium, lead, copper and other 
poisonous metals from the ground, the soil ... was clean enough to 
grow food in.

..... further studies have found they are also good at removing salt.
-----------------------------------------

The lemon-scented geranium is a small-leaved pelargonium which is 
tender to frost, and often grown as a houseplant.  It could be grown 
outside in the summer.  I don't know what one would do with it at the 
end of summer when it would presumably be full of heavy metals.

--
Diane Whitehead  Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
maritime zone 8
cool mediterranean climate (dry summer, rainy winter - 68 cm annually)
sandy soil