[en] Calotropis procera (Apocynaceae) is an exotic species, from Africa and Asia, introduced in North-eastern Brazil at the beginning of last century; C. procera is a ruderal plant (adapted to poor soil), fit to survive in dry environments, that blooms and fructifies all year round, and its seeds germinate easily. With these characteristics, it is not surprising that its invasiveness has become a matter of concern: its presence has already been reported among native vegetation of caatinga, savannah and rain forest in Brazil. C. procera has medical uses, in India, for many ailments; other uses are as forage, textile and food applications, and as fuel; Furthermore, it is capable of accumulating heavy metals and metalloids; comparisons between leaf samples from polluted and non-polluted sites were already carried out by different authors. Due to the above mentioned, it was decided to analyse, through neutron activation analysis, k₀-method, samples of leaves of C. procera, from polluted and non-polluted sites from the State of Pernambuco, in order to verify which elements were present; samples of the soils from these regions were also analysed. The results that will be presented strongly suggest that C. procera might be an accumulator of Se, and, what has not been reported before, it is capable of absorbing Ba, Cs, La, Sc, Sm, Sr, Ta and Th; also, our results indicate that experiments under controlled conditions should be carried out, in order to ascertain that C. procera is really capable of accumulating the mentioned elements, and its possibilities in phytoremediation strategies. (author)