Differentiating the Volcaniform Phytoliths of Bananas: Musa acuminata

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dc.contributor.authorVrydaghs, L.
dc.contributor.authorBall, T.
dc.contributor.authorVolkaert, H.
dc.contributor.authorvan den Houwe, I.
dc.contributor.authorManwaring, J.
dc.contributor.authorDe Langhe, E.
dc.date.accessioned2009-09-17T22:43:53Z
dc.date.available2009-09-17T22:43:53Z
dc.date.issued2009
dc.descriptionresearch
dc.description.abstractBanana 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.
dc.identifier.citationVrydaghs L, Ball T, Volkaert H, van den Houwe I, Manwaring J, De Langhe E. 2009. Differentiating the volcaniform phytoliths of bananas: Musa acuminate. Ethnobotany Research and Applications 7:239-246.
dc.identifier.issn1547-3465
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10125/12517
dc.language.isoen-US
dc.publisherUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa
dc.subjectMusa acuminata
dc.subjectbanana phytoliths
dc.subjectarchaeology
dc.titleDifferentiating the Volcaniform Phytoliths of Bananas: Musa acuminata
dc.typeArticle
dc.type.dcmiText

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2009 - Volume 7 : Ethnobotany Research and Applications