Abstract: A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of different concentration (0, 500, 1000, 1500 mg·kg^-1) lead (Pb) on the growth and Pb absorption and accumulation of 14 roadside dominant herbaceous plants in Shanxi Province. With increasing Pb concentration in the pot, Amaranthus retroflexus and Sorghum bicolor×S.sudanese appeared obviously toxic symptoms, while the other 12 test plants had higher Pb tolerance, with no significant decrease in their plant height and biomass, compared with control. Chenopodium album and Psathyrostachys juncea had the lowest Pb content (averaged 12.70 and 11.33 mg Pb·kg^-1, respectively) in their aboveground part and the lowest Pb ratio (0.12 and 0.10, respectively) of aboveground part / root, being the potential low Pb-accumulation plants and able to be used for the vegetation restoration of Pb-polluted soil. Red leaf A. tricolor and green leaf A. tricolor in treatment 1500 mg Pb ·kg^-1 had the highest Pb accumulation (53.37 and 45.29 mg Pb per 100 plants, respectively) in their aboveground parts, being able to be chosen as the pioneer plants for the remediation of Pb-polluted soil.

Key words: Pb, roadside, herbaceous plant, accumulation