hyperaccumulator

thumb|Viola lutea subsp. calaminaria, also known as the zinc violet, grows in soils high in zinc.

A hyperaccumulator is a plant capable of growing in soil or water with high concentrations of metals, absorbing them through their roots. The metals are concentrated at levels that are toxic to closely related species not adapted to growing on the metalliferous soils. Compared to non-hyperaccumulating species, hyperaccumulator roots extract the metal from the soil at a higher rate, transfer it more quickly to their shoots, and store large amounts in leaves and roots. The ability to hyperaccumulate toxic metals compared to related species has been shown to be due to differential gene expression and regulation of the same genes in both plants. Hyperaccumulators are regularly discussed within the context of phytoremediation, although their commercialization remains aspirational.