Guiling Zheng

Air plant (Tillandsia spp.) is a kind of special plants that can grow in the air and does not need soil. It is originated from Central and South America and has been introduced and cultivated all over the world because of its unique ornamental value. As a special epiphytic group, the root function of air plant is degraded, and it's growth completely depends on the leaves to absorb water and nutrients from the air, so its leaf absorption capacity is strong. The book contains a systematic study on the biomonitoring, purification and dynamic response of air plant to air pollutants. The results show that air plant is a broad spectrum plant to absorb atmospheric pollutants, including heavy metals (Hg, Cd, Pb etc.), formaldehyde, radon (Rn) and particulate matters (PM10, PM2.5 etc.). The specialized foliar trichomes densely covering Tillandsia leaves played a major role in the absorption of various pollutants. Moreover, air plant has a strong ability to resist air pollution damage, and has various unique avoidance or mitigation mechanisms in structure, physiology, gene and other aspects. Hormesis effect, in the framework of which a toxicant has a stimulating effect at low doses and a toxic effect at high doses, can commonly occur in this plant. Plant resistance genes and glutathione (GSH) may play an important role in the generation of hormesis.