THE DATE PALM (PHOENIX-DACTYLIFERA L) AS A BIOMONITOR OF LEAD AND OTHER ELEMENTS IN ARID ENVIRONMENTS

The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) has been tested as a possible b iomonitor of metal pollution in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. The metal c ontent (Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr and Li) was determined for washed and unwas hed leaflets. collected from a wide range of sites with different degr ees of metal pollution (urban, suburban, highway and industrial areas) and from a rural (control) site. Differences between washed and unwas hed samples revealed that metal pollutants exist as superficial contam inants, especially levels of Pb and Zn, which varied according to the metal source. However, P. dactylifera leaflets were found to be suitab le biomonitors for metal pollution in Riyadh and similar arid and semi -arid environments.