Distribution of phytoliths in plants: a review

Abstract

Phytoliths are ergastic siliceous substances present abundantly within intercellular spaces as well as inside the cells of numerous plants. Being made up of silica, they are nondegradable and hence found preserved as microfossils in various substrata. This property of phytoliths extends its significance in the field of paleobotany, geology, and archaeology. Soil analysis for eking out phytoliths has been often exercised for reconstructing paleophytogeography of extinct grasslands. Plants accumulate silica and convert them into crystals when their concentration reaches certain maxima. Deciphering the types of phytoliths at historically rich sites, we can predict the culture of ancient farming. Finding such peerless opulence of phytoliths in paleobotany, the present review was designed to compile the data of phytoliths in various plants. The data compiled in this review will help researchers tracing the link between phytoliths and its source plant at the target sites.