The present study intended to compare the efficiency of the wetland plants Phragmites australis (cav.) Trin. ex Steudel and Cyperus papyrus L. for the accumulation of heavy metals. Maximum accumulation of the heavy metals Pb (132.5-175 μg/g DW), Zn (97.5-100 μg/g DW) and Cr (80.5-90 μg/g DW) was recorded in roots of the two wetland plants C. papyrus and P. australis, respectively. Cadmium showed the lowest metal accumulation in the tissues of both plants (0.55-5.5 μg/g DW). C. papyrus roots accumulated higher levels of most metals than those of P. australis. Heavy metals were shown to be not only accumulated in roots of both plants but also were translocated to the shoots and accumulated in the harvestable plant parts. The results showed variation in the levels of the heavy metals accumulated in the different parts of C. papyrus and P. australis, in spite of being planted at the same site and subjected to the same conditions. The potential use of Phragmites australis and Cyperus papyrus in phytoremediation is also discussed