Imagine a plant that not only survives in toxic soil but actually “feeds” on the toxins. It may sound like science fiction, but such a plant truly exists.
Its name is Rinorea niccolifera, and it thrives in soil rich in heavy metals, capable of absorbing extraordinary amounts of nickel—without poisoning itself.
This remarkable plant was discovered in 2014 by a team of Filipino scientists in Zambales Province, on the island of Luzon. The discovery is not only fascinating from a botanical perspective but also offers great promise for environmental restoration, especially in areas severely damaged by nickel mining.
This discovery was first published in the PhytoKeys journal.
Not Your Ordinary Plant
What makes Rinorea niccolifera so special? It can absorb up to 18,000 parts per million (ppm) of nickel into its leaf tissues—an amount far beyond what typical plants can tolerate. To put this into perspective, that’s equivalent to 1.8% of the leaf's dry weight—an extraordinary feat in the plant world.
Most plants would die if exposed to such high levels of heavy metals like nickel. But Rinorea niccolifera not only survives—it thrives. This unique ability classifies it as a hyperaccumulator, a rare type of plant that can absorb and store high concentrations of heavy metals without showing signs of toxicity.
Rare but Vital: Just a Few Plants Can Do This
Globally, only about 450 to 700 plant species are known to possess such hyperaccumulating capabilities. In the Philippines, only around 25 species have been identified as hyperaccumulators.
Considering there are over 300,000 known species of vascular plants in the world, this number is exceptionally small—making Rinorea niccolifera a rare and highly valuable species.
Interestingly, this ability is typically found in plants growing in ultramafic soils—soils that naturally contain high concentrations of metals such as nickel, chromium, and cobalt. The Zambales region, where Rinorea niccolifera was discovered, is part of the Zambales Ophiolite Complex, a geological formation known for its rich metal deposits.
A Green Solution for Abandoned Mines
The discovery of Rinorea niccolifera is not just a marvel of nature—it opens up major possibilities in the field of green technology, particularly in efforts to restore environments damaged by mining activities. One such method currently being developed is phytoremediation—a technique that uses plants to absorb pollutants from the soil.
Thanks to its ability to absorb nickel, Rinorea niccolifera can be planted in former mining sites to "draw out" heavy metals from the soil, gradually helping to restore the land’s fertility and ecological health.
Beyond that, another emerging topic is phytomining—the idea of harvesting such plants to extract valuable metals from their tissues. The result is known as bio-ore, and it presents an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional mining, which is often destructive.
Discovery of Similar Species
Following the discovery of Rinorea niccolifera, two other species from the genus Phyllanthus were also found in the Philippines: Phyllanthus erythrotrichus from Zambales and Phyllanthus securinegoides from Surigao del Norte. Both are classified as hyperaccumulators, capable of absorbing over 10,000 ppm of nickel in their leaves.
This suggests that the Philippines, with its mineral-rich soils, holds great potential as a habitat for these extraordinary plants. Research continues, including through the Mine Rehabilitation Program funded by DOST-PCIEERD (the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development).
