Abstract
Classifications of grass silica-bodies are constructed for various purposes ranging from botany to archaeology. Specific organizational details vary with the experience of the phytolith analyst and the condition of the material to be classified. The first step in classification of disaggregated phytoliths, however, must be consistent identification of types based on characteristics that survive burial, ie, morphology. The defined types then need to be correlated with plant taxa at as low a level as possible.
This paper presents a standard terminology for classification of silica phytoliths, focusing on grass silica-bodies. Morphology forms the basis of the organization, although it is correlated to anatomical origin where possible. Grass silica-bodies exhibit three general geometric shapes; eight types are defined based on outline of the base. In addition, basic three-dimensional structures are defined. The classification presents standardized definitions of the “classic” grass phytolith shapes reported in the literature.
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Mulholland, S.C., Rapp, G. (1992). A Morphological Classification of Grass Silica-Bodies. In: Rapp, G., Mulholland, S.C. (eds) Phytolith Systematics. Advances in Archaeological and Museum Science, vol 1. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1155-1_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1155-1_4
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