Phytoliths

Phytoliths are the result of a biomineralization process by which some plants deposit silica at cellular level. After the death and decay of plants, phytoliths are incorporated in soils and sediments as microscope particles of varying shapes that reproduce the cellular tissue to some extent. The variation in their shapes allow the identification of phytoliths’ anatomical origin and the plant producing them. Because phytoliths are inorganic and thus resistant to most pre and post depositional processes, including fire, they preserve well over long periods of time in a different range of conditions. However, not all the plants produce the same amount of phytoliths and phytolith morphologies can be redundant, making impossible to identify the original plant. In addition, phytolith assemblages can suffer post-depositional processes that might affect their preservation and bias our interpretation.

More info: International Phytolith Society