The phytotoxicity of five nonessential elements (Co, V, Ti, Ag, Cr) to higher plants was studied in solution culture experiments with bush beans (Phaseolus vulgarisL. C.V. Improved Tendergreen). All, but in varying degrees, tended to concentrate in roots with a decreasing gradient to stems and leaves. Cobalt was one of the more mobile of the five trace metals. Its toxicity was expressed as severe chlorosis; 43 (with 10‐5M) and 142 (with 10‐4M) μg Co/g dry weight in leaves resulted in severe chlorosis. Vanadium as 10‐4Mvanadate resulted in smaller plants but not in chlorosis. Leaf, stem, and root V, respectively, were 13, 8, and 881 μg/g dry weight. Titanium was somewhat mobile with considerable yield decrease at 10‐4M; leaf, stem, and root Ti concentrations, respectively, were 202, 48, and 2420 μg/g. Symptoms were chlorosis, necrotic spots on leaves, and stunting. Silver was very lethal at 10‐4MAgNO3; at 10‐5Myields were greatly decreased, but plants were grown without symptoms. Leaf, stem, and root concentrations of Ag for this treatment, respectively, were 5.8, 5.1, and 1760 μg/g dry weight. Plants grown with 10‐5NCr2O7were decreased in yield by about 25% with or without EDTA (ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid) while the same level of Cr2(SO4)3was essentially without effect. For the two salts, the leaf, stem, root concentrations for Cr, respectively were 2.2 and 1.3, 0.7 and 0. 7, and 140 and 104 μg/g. Most of the trace metals studied here had interactions in the uptake and/or distribution of other elements.