Phytolithic Evidence for the Introduction of Schoenoplectus Californicus

Rapa Nui is a volcanic island situated on the East Pacific rise by 27° 07' S and 109° 22' W making it the most isolated inhabited place in world. Formerly forested (Selling 1961; Flenley and King 1984; Flenley et aI, 1991; Orliac 2000), it now presents an open grassy landscape with several introduced plants such as banana, sweet potatoes and sugar cane. As to the sedge species nga 'atu (Schoenoplectus californicus subsp. tatora (Kunth) T. Koyama syn. Scirpus californicus) the status of this species appears more controversial.</p

Differentiating the Volcaniform Phytoliths of Bananas: Musa acuminata

researchBanana phytoliths are considered a suitable tool in archaeology to track the history of the human populations involved in banana cultivation and dispersal throughout the tropical world. This study is confined to an initial investigation of the species Musa acuminata Colla and of its edible diploid and triploid derivatives. Slight morphological and/or morphometrical differences of the volcaniform phytoliths can be expected because of the very complex and bi-specific phylogeny of the edible banana. A stepwise procedure in the analysis of these phytoliths is therefore required. Analysis of 21 samples covering a wide spectrum in genetic diversity, shows that banana phytolith diversity is linked to phylogeny. The results suggest that precise and reliable identification of phytoliths in archaeological contexts is possible, but that the examination of an additional set of samples is necessary to fully understand the extent of morphotypic variation and traits for diagnostic discrimination