Abstract
Plants are a major component of constructed wetlands (CWs) but arriving at a reasonable choice of plants is a challenge. In this study, surface flow CWs planted with eight different species of plants were investigated to explore the relationship between plant characteristics, including density, height, leaf area index, evapotranspiration (ET) and plant coefficient (the ratio of the actual plant ET to a reference ET), and the treatment performance of these plants in purifying water. Of the five plant characteristics, only the plant coefficient was found to be negatively correlated with kv (first-order removal rate) for nitrogen and phosphorus. The interpretation of this relationship requires caution, as the negative relationship may be caused by the water consumed by ET in the long term. The relationship between ETc (actual ET of a plant), plant coefficient and the removal load explain the two contradictory effects of ET on the removal load. Considering treatment performance and plant coefficient, the plant most recommended for use in CWs is Iris sibirica and that which is the least recommended is Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. The combination of treatment performance and plant coefficient provides a robust approach to the selection of plants for areas with a high ET.
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