A sorbent prepared from the plant Coriandrum sativum, commonly known as coriander or Chinese parsley, was observed to remove inorganic (Hg2+) and methyl mercury (CH3Hg+) from aqueous solutions with good efficiency. Batch experiments were carried out to determine the pH dependency in the range 1-10 and the time profiles of sorption for both the species. Removal of both the forms of mercury from spiked ground water samples was found to be efficient and not influenced by other ions. Column experiments with silica-immobilized coriander demonstrated that the sorbent is capable of removing considerable amounts of both forms of mercury from water. The sorption behaviour indicates the major role of carboxylic acid groups in binding the mercury. The studies suggest that the sorbent can be used for the decontamination of inorganic and methyl mercury from contaminated waters. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.