REGULAR ARTICLE Rudgea viburnoides (Rubiaceae) overcomes the low soil fertility of the Brazilian Cerrado and hyperaccumulates aluminum in cell walls and chloroplasts Priscila Gonçalves Malta & Samara Arcanjo-Silva & Cleberson Ribeiro & Naiara Viana Campos & Aristéa Alves Azevedo Received: 18 March 2016 /Accepted: 12 May 2016 # Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 Abstract Aims Rudgea viburnoides (Cham.) Benth. is an alumi- num (Al) hyperaccumulator species native to the Bra- zilian Cerrado and can be found on soils with different fertilities and Al availabilities. We studied the relation- ship between the chemical composition of different soils and the Al and nutrient concentrations in the species. Histolocalization of Al and its probable complexation with phenols were investigated. Methods Aluminum in R. viburnoides roots, stems and leaves was detected through histochemical tests, confo- cal microscopy, and X-ray microanalysis. Phenol local- ization and concentration were determined, as was the plant nutritional status. Results Despite the low soil fertilities, nutrient concen- trations in vegetative organs were high. Even with the differences in Al availability in the soils, R. viburnoides accumulated more than 10 g Al kg -1 DW on leaves. Pectocellulosic cell walls were preferential sites for Al deposition, but the metal also accumulated in suberized cell walls and chloroplasts. Aluminum localization co- incided with Si distribution in cell walls and phenol distribution in the cytosol. Conclusions Rudgea viburnoides has a great ability to absorb nutrients from poor soils and the hyperaccumulation of Al is independent of the metal availability in the soil. Aluminum accumulation on the phellem and chloroplasts was described for the first time in this species. Keywords Acid soils . Mineral nutrients . Aluminum localization . Aluminum tolerance Introduction Plant features and spatial distribution at the Brazilian Cerrado are influenced by climate, soil, water availabil- ity, and fire occurrence (Ribeiro and Walter 2008). Var- iation in soil characteristics results in a heterogeneous landscape composed of grasslands, savanna, and forest physiognomies (Ribeiro and Walter 2008), constituting the vegetation mosaic known as Bforest–grassland ecotone^ (Coutinho 1978). In general, Cerrado soils are acidic (pH between 4 and 5) and classified as dystrophic Latosols, but Ultisols, Neosols, and Cambisols (Reatto et al. 1998) can also occur. At pH values below 5, aluminum (Al) is solubilized as its trivalent cation (Al 3+ ), which is highly phytotoxic (Hartwig et al. 2007). Aluminum toxicity is one of the most serious limitations to crop development Plant Soil DOI 10.1007/s11104-016-2926-x Responsible Editor: Yong Chao Liang. P. G. Malta : S. Arcanjo-Silva : N. V. Campos : A. A. Azevedo (*) Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Avenida Peter Henry Rolfs s/n, 36570-900 Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil e-mail: aristea.azevedo@gmail.com C. Ribeiro Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Avenida Peter Henry Rolfs s/n, 36570-900 Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil