Phytolith assemblages from palm leaves and palm-leaf manuscripts: what is the difference and what it could mean?

Frontiers in Plant Science, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 15

Published: Jan. 14, 2025

We studied freshly collected, dried and herbarized leaf fragments of two palms, namely Borassus flabellifer L. Corypha umbraculifera L., most commonly used for palm-leaf manuscript (PLM) production in South (S) Southeast Asia (SE) order to reveal differences their phytolith assemblages. For each the 25 samples were taken from Indian states Kerala Tamil Nadu. Dried material was obtained fresh one by drying leaves air. Herbarium independent herbaria, specimen origin comprises S SE with main focus on India Sri Lanka. Additionally, manuscripts made investigated phytoliths. All are preliminary dated back between 16th beginning 20th century CE; them assumedly produced (Tamil Nadu Kerala), Lanka, Burma or Indonesia. Phytolith assemblages significantly differed fresh, dry palm comparison PLM material, both qualitatively quantitatively (mean r2 = - 0.61 ± 9.3 0.75 5.3 samples, at p < 0.001). Fifty-three types described not observed any samples. Geographical analysis PLM-specific phytoliths suggests that combination those could be region-related. In this paper, we prove methods palaeoecological reconstructions based detailed microscopy PLMs surface applied mathematical computer data can contribute answer questions posed codicology revealing lost recipes studying provenance terms geographical artefacts. Our approach potentially open a new perspective studies expanding traditional scope making applicable research field.

Language: Английский

Environmental significance of &lt;italic&gt;&delta;&lt;/italic&gt;&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;C&lt;sub&gt;cell&lt;/sub&gt; in living sedges in SWGT peatland, Chengbu County, Hunan Province

Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 69(17), P. 2429 - 2440

Published: Jan. 11, 2024