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Plants are a critical resource because they support life on this planet. We rely on plants for the air we breathe, much of the food we eat, and their medicinal uses. While plants are generally beneficial, plants that help the environment play more important roles than others in some ecological aspects.
Important plants that help the environment include plants that help reduce air pollution, aid in erosion control, support bee populations, and encourage biodiversity. Low-impact plant foods provide nourishment while being cost-effective and water-efficient.
This article will acquaint you with important plants that help the environment and shows how they do it.
How Do Plants Help the Environment?
Plants play a critical role in sustaining life on earth. They are responsible for producing oxygen and they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Plants, and especially trees, are a vital ingredient in completing the rain cycle in which water is absorbed through their roots.
After being used by the plant metabolic processes, water is exhaled into the atmosphere in the form of water vapour. This is called transpiration, and as well as the water vapour from other evaporation, it condenses to form clouds.
The water returns to earth in the form of snow or rainfall, ensuring that our freshwater is replenished. This is a crucial process, as fresh water is a limited resource that gets depleted quickly.
Plants also support biodiversity by providing natural habitats and food sources to a large number of species. And their root systems help to keep soil stable and compact. This helps to prevent landslides, flooding, and disasters that result from deforestation and other economic activities.
Plants That Help Reduce Air Pollution
Plants help reduce air pollution by taking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during a process called photosynthesis. Recent studies on the effect of roadside planting in improving the quality of urban air show that carbon dioxide uptake isn’t the only way plants help with air pollution. Plants, particularly trees, are effective filters of particulate matter (PM).
PM comprises ultrafine particles of organic chemicals, acids, metals and dust emitted by fossil fuel-powered motor vehicles and factories. Building and road construction activities also produce PM. PM is one cause of poor air quality which results in often fatal respiratory conditions in people exposed to bad air.
Trees reduce the impact of PM in two ways: dispersion and deposition. Trees and plants can help disperse concentrated clouds of particles as they travel through the air. The dispersal dilutes the concentration, significantly reducing the risk of being inhaled in harmful amounts.
Deposition works through the trapping action of the waxy, hairy surfaces of tree and shrub foliage. This removes PM from the air, which is then washed away by rain. Research findings identify plants as potent air purifiers.
Let’s take a look at some of the plants known to be effective pollutant-reducers.
Trees That Reduce Air Pollution
Trees are effective air purifiers courtesy of their carbon dioxide uptake and capacity to remove particulates. The structures, size, and hairiness of their leaves and the thickness of their foliage play a role in their effectiveness.
The bigger the surface area of a leaf, the greater the volume of carbon dioxide it is able to absorb from the air. In addition, the higher its particulate-trapping capacity. The same applies to thicker foliage in smaller leaves.
An experiment conducted at the University of Lancaster tested the effectiveness of different tree species in particulate removal. During the experiment, researchers created an artificial roadside in which they exposed different tree species to diesel exhaust for 35 minutes.
The performance of the different species in the experiment is summarised in the table below:
| Tree Species | Effectiveness of Particulate Matter Removal |
| Silver Birch | Removed 79% of ultrafine matter |
| Yew | Removed 71.5% of particulate matter |
| Elder | Removed 70.5% of particulate matter |
The results of the experiment lend credibility to the understanding that green urban planning can help reverse some of the effects of urbanisation.
Some trees that deserve mention are:
- Douglas Fir: Pine trees like the Douglas fir are excellent air purifiers. Their soft, flat needles that can grow up to 4 cm (40 mm) are great for trapping ultrafine particles. Their scent is also beneficial to sufferers of asthma and chronic allergies owing to their anti-inflammatory effects.
- Honey Locust: Honey locusts thrive in moisture-rich environments and are often found beside rivers or lakes. Their foliage forms a large canopy which makes it great for providing shade and trapping particulates in the atmosphere.
- Red Cedar: Not only are Red cedars great air purifiers, but they are also a sustainable resource because they come from forests that are being regenerated.
Indoor Plants That Help Purify Air
Some plants not only add aesthetic value to our homes, but they also help the environment and purify the air we breathe indoors and around the home.
When kept healthy, these plants can benefit your health by improving the quality of indoor air:
- Anthurium: This is a favourite houseplant with attractive leaves and vibrant blooms. It also destroys harmful chemicals like ammonia and formaldehyde.
- Chinese evergreen: Its broad leaves are a picture of beauty, and all that leaf real estate is useful for removing harmful volatile organic compounds (VOC).
- Corn plant: Not only does it improve the look of empty corners, but the corn plant also absorbs harmful chemicals. These include chemicals emitted by cleaning products, paint, shoe polish, markers, and other everyday household items.
- Scarlet star bromeliad: Don’t let its stunning blooms distract you. This plant efficiently removes 80% of VOCs in a matter of 12 hours.
- Bamboo palm: Unrelated to actual bamboo, this is a favourite floor pot plant that filters trichloroethylene, benzene, and formaldehyde from the air.
- English ivy: Whether potted on a mantle or grown vertically as a vine, the English ivy adds a splash of colour to interior decor. And it filters harmful household chemicals from indoor air.
Plants That Help the Environment and stop Soil Erosion
Deforestation is a major cause of human-induced soil erosion, which weakens and degrades the soil. The root systems of trees and plants keep the soil compact, stabilising it and making it more resilient to natural erosion. Although soil erosion can occur naturally, it usually happens slowly over extended periods.
The large-scale destruction of plant life leaves the soil more vulnerable to natural disasters. Floods and landslides make human-induced soil erosion more devastating. These disasters often lead to massive loss of life as well as a lamentable loss of biodiversity in affected areas.
Some plants that help the environment are great for erosion control due to their complex and extensive root structures, forming nets that hold topsoil. These plants have the added benefit of increasing the nutrient density of the soil as they turn to compost.
Here are some excellent erosion control plants
- Vetch: Vetch is an aggressively fast-growing plant which provides ground cover that controls soil erosion. It also provides a carpet of white and pink flowers and is ideal for tricky terrain such as steep slopes with dry, rocky soil.
- Rye: Rye greatly reduces the loss of soil caused by wind and water during the fall, winter, and early spring.
- Clover: Clover roots are highly fibrous and run quite deep into the ground. This root structure is perfect for erosion control as it keeps the soil particles intact.
Some grass plants worthy of mention are:
- Timothy grass
- Foxtail
- Smooth brome
For soils in arid or semi-arid regions, the go-to grass for erosion control is buffalo grass, deer grass, and native bunchgrasses.
Bee-Friendly Plants
This would be a good time to insert the quote attributed to Albert Einstein about the plight of the human race should bees die out. However, it continues to be debated if Einstein ever said it.
One thing is certain, though, without pollinators like our bees, plant life as we know it would cease to exist. The only logical conclusion here is that the rest of life on earth would follow suit into extinction.
Einstein didn’t have to be the source to lend credibility to the self-evident fact that without bees, there would be no more cross-pollination. Without pollination, there would be no plants. And without plants, there would be no other species.
It therefore benefits the environment and other species that call the planet home when the welfare of pollinators is made a priority. Here are some plants that help support bee populations throughout the seasons:
| Plant | Supported Bee Species | Season |
| Pussy willow | Bumblebee, Clarke’s mining bee, Chocolate mining bee | Spring |
| Lavender | Bumblebees, Leafcutter bees, Flower bees, and Mason bees. | Summer |
| Abelia | Bumblebees & Honeybees | Autumn |
| Mahonia | Overwintering Bumblebees & Honeybees | Winter |
| Apple | Red mason bee | Spring |
| Hawthorn | Red mason bee, Tawny mining bee, Ashy mining bee and the Hawthorn mining bee | Summer |
| Honeysuckle | Garden bumblebee and Carder bumblebee | Autumn |
| Ivy | Honeybees and Queen bumblebees | Winter |
It isn’t only bees that reap benefits from these plants. The important plants support bird and insect biodiversity as well. This is significant considering the demise of many insect species. Thriving ecosystems are those that have healthy populations of even their smallest members.
Here are some plants that support insect biodiversity:
- Holly
- Christmas Box
- Pittosporum
Dangers of Large Scale Crops
While all plants are beneficial to the planet, the demands of over 7 billion people can take a sizable environmental toll. When planted in scale, some plants can start to have detrimental effects on the environment.
The scale at which food is mass produced to ensure supply keeps up with demand has serious ecological implications. For instance, the agricultural industry is responsible for the large bulk of pesticide contamination of our groundwater and freshwater sources.
An example of a food crop that is water and energy-inefficient is corn. On an agricultural scale, corn consumes a staggering 6 billion gallons (27 billion litres) of water annually. In addition, an average of 60 gallons (272.76 litres) of fossil fuels are used to work one acre of cornfield.
Eco-Friendly Plant Foods
Thankfully, there are some low-impact foods we can enjoy that won’t take a bite out of the environment:
- Tomatoes: Locally or homegrown tomatoes register a small carbon footprint. Their deep plant root systems enable them to draw moisture from deep in the soil, making them water-efficient in hot summer months.
- Beans: Beans are an excellent protein source that makes for an eco-friendly meat substitute. Dry beans can also help you avoid the BPA found in the canned variety.
- Broccoli: Broccoli is not only nutrient-rich but also naturally produces compounds that repel pests, eliminating the need for harmful pesticides.
- Garden peas: Garden peas grow in cool conditions where they need less watering. They are helpful to the environment because they fix nitrogen into the soil, leaving it rich in nutrients after a harvest.
- Green leafy vegetables: Leafy greens such as kale and spinach provide vitamins A, C, E, and K. Growing these in large quantities requires minimal resources, making them helpful to the environment.
- Potatoes: Like broccoli, potatoes produce natural pesticides and fungicides, which eliminates the need for synthetic ones. Potatoes are also water-efficient compared to other staples. They can be stored for extended periods.
- Mushrooms: With over 2,000 edible varieties, mushrooms are packed with flavour and nutrients. They are also resilient and grow where many crops cannot survive. They can even be grown on the by-products of other crops and have minimal environmental impact.
Final Thoughts
The importance of plants that depollute the air, control erosion, and support biodiversity cannot be overstated. Foods that provide the nutritional needs of both animal and human populations without overtaxing the environment also help reduce the ecological impact of the agricultural industry.