6 research outputs found
The morphological and anatomical interpretation and identification of charred vegetative parenchymatous plant remains
This research project has attempted to develop a
methodology for the identification of charred remains of
useful non-woody vegetative parts of plants by the use of
morphological and anatomical characters. A large number
of taxa have been observed covering a wide morphological,
anatomical, ethnographic and taxonomic range. The chosen
taxa cover a geographic area from Western Europe, through
the Mediterranean to the Near East.
Anatomy of fresh material viewed under the light
microscope has been used to interpret the anatomy of
experimentally charred tissues viewed under the Scanning
Electron Microscope. Classical morphological and
anatomical characters have been used as well as
artifactual characters caused by charring.
Literature covering root and tuber domestication and the
exploitation of roots and tubers as wild resources are
reviewed. The origins of root crops in Europe and the
Near East is discussed and compared with the origin of
root and tuber crops in the tropics. The application of
morphological terms such as rhizome, rootstock and corm as
well as the use of anatomical and morphological characters of the tissues under observation for classification and
identification are discussed.
The results first describe the characters of charred non-woody
vegetative tissue, so that in the separate
descriptions of the charcoal each taxon that follows the
morphology and anatomy may be interpreted. Those
characters that are diagnosed are indicated.
Archaeological charcoal that has been analysed is also
described.
The results are discussed with a view to methods of
identification of parenchymatous tissues and a manual
dichotomous key is presented. Applications of the
research are examined. Finally a list of concluding
points is put forward