alpine pennycress

Noccaea montana, the alpine pennycress, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae.

Cadmium and zinc, using Alpine pennycress (Thlaspi caerulescens), a hyperaccumulator of these metals at levels that would be toxic to many plants.

Many plants such as mustard plants, alpine pennycress, hemp, and pigweed have proven to be successful at hyperaccumulating contaminants at toxic waste sites.

There are rare Minuartia and Alpine Pennycress, endemic varieties of the Dactylorhiza maculata and Euphrasia, as well as more common species such as Sundew, Pinguicula, Milkwort and Rhodiola rosea.

In addition to being just a wildflower, alpine pennycress has been cited in phytoremediation to have special phytoextractional properties and is known to absorb cadmium with very good results and in certain instances is said to have absorbed zinc as well.

In higher regions there are typical upland species such as Moss Campion Silene acaulis, Mountain Avens Dryas octopetala, Alpine Pennycress Thlaspi alpestre, Stone Bramble Rubus saxatilis and Northern Rockcress Cardaminopsis petraea.