Odontarrhena bertolonii is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. Its native range is Central Italy, making it endemic to the region.
Description A small subshrub, typically 20 centimeters tall, blooms from April to June.
Subtaxa The following subspecies are accepted:
• Odontarrhena bertolonii subsp. bertolonii
• Odontarrhena bertolonii subsp. cesalpinoana Selvi
Uses
As a hyperaccumulator Under the name Alyssum bertolonii, the species was analyzed in 1948 for its ability to concentrate unusually high amounts of heavy metals in above-ground tissues, specifically nickel, making it the first documented nickel hyperaccumulator plant.Minguzzi C., Vergnano O. (1948) Il contenuto di nichel nelle ceneri di Alyssum bertolonii Desv. Atti Soc Tosc Sci Nat Mem Ser A 55:49–77 When first discovered, it was deduced that the species could become a means of searching for nickel deposits in the region.
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