Common Plant Traps Car Pollution 20% More Effectively Than Others, Claims Study
This is according to the Royal Horticultural Society, which has discovered that Cotoneaster -- a common hedge plant with its bushy hairy leaves and dense nature was able to be 20 percent more effective at soaking pollution fumes compared to say, hawthorn or western red cedar.
Climate change is real and it¡¯s causing catastrophic damage to our planet. And one of the most prominent causes for this is pollution that comes from industries and vehicles.
AP
And people whose homes are next to busy roads experience the most ill-effects of this pollution. Whether it¡¯s the smoke that comes indoors or the dust that comes along with it. And needless to say, this smoke also brings along an array of health issues in the long run.
However, now, researchers have found a new roadside shrub species that apparently sucks in more amount of vehicular pollution than other shrubs and can be effective in curtailing this pollution.
This is according to the Royal Horticultural Society, which has discovered that Cotoneaster -- a common hedge plant with its bushy hairy leaves and dense nature was able to be 20 percent more effective at soaking pollution fumes compared to say, hawthorn or western red cedar.
Researchers found that in just one week, a well-kept dense hedge of one-metre long Cotoneaster managed to absorb the same amount of pollution as a car would emit while driving for over 500 miles.
They also discovered that it was more effective to tame pollution on roads with heavy traffic and was almost ineffective on streets that didn¡¯t see much traffic.
Dr Tijana Blanusa explained, ¡°On major city roads with heavy traffic we've found that the species with more complex denser canopies, rough and hairy-leaves such as cotoneaster were the most effective. We know that in just seven days a one-metre length of the well-managed dense hedge will mop up the same amount of pollution that a car emits over a 500-mile drive.¡±
Wikipedia/ Oregon Univeristy
Blanusa recommends using Cotoneaster along busy roads in pollution hotspots while in less-traffic routes, a mix of different species of shrubs could do the trick.
Professor Alistair Griffiths, Royal Horticultural Society director of science and collections, added, ¡°We are continually identifying new 'super plants' with unique qualities which when combined with other vegetation provide enhanced benefits while providing much-needed habitats for wildlife.¡±
