Phytolith Analysis — Plant Silica Body Analysis

Phytolith analysis is a laboratory technique used to identify and quantify microscopic silica bodies deposited in plant cells, recovered from soils, sediments, or archaeological contexts. Because phytoliths preserve long after organic material has decayed, the method is central to reconstructing past vegetation, crop histories, land use, and soil development across agronomy, paleoecology, and archaeobotany.