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. 2019 Sep 24;124(2):189-199.
doi: 10.1093/aob/mcz064.

International Code for Phytolith Nomenclature (ICPN) 2.0

International Committee for Phytolith Taxonomy (ICPT)
Collaborators

International Code for Phytolith Nomenclature (ICPN) 2.0

International Committee for Phytolith Taxonomy (ICPT). Ann Bot. .

Abstract

Background: Opal phytoliths (microscopic silica bodies produced in and between the cells of many plants) are a very resilient, often preserved type of plant microfossil. With the exponentially growing number of phytolith studies, standardization of phytolith morphotype names and description is essential. As a first effort in standardization, the International Code for Phytolith Nomenclature 1.0 was published by the ICPN Working Group in Annals of Botany in 2005. A decade of use of the code has prompted the need to revise, update, expand and improve it.

Scope: ICPN 2.0 formulates the principles recommended for naming and describing phytolith morphotypes. According to these principles, it presents the revised names, diagnosis, images and drawings of the morphotypes that were included in ICPN 1.0, plus three others. These 19 morphotypes are those most commonly encountered in phytolith assemblages from modern and fossil soils, sediments and archaeological deposits. An illustrated glossary of common terms for description is also provided.

Keywords: Phytoliths; code; morphotype; nomenclature; taxonomy.

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Figures

Fig. 1A.
Fig. 1A.
Line drawings illustrating important shape and general descriptors. Drawings by C.A.E. Strömberg.
Fig. 1B.
Fig. 1B.
Line drawings illustrating important phytolith descriptors for margins, surface, texture and ornamentation. Drawings by C.A.E. Strömberg.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Spheroid psilate (A–I) and confusers (J–L). (A–D, F–H) From surface samples and archaeological sites in West and Central Africa. (C, F–H) With corrosion features. (E) Elodea canadensis (Hydrocharitaceae), stem. (I) Parinari curatellifolia (Chrysobalanaceae), fruit. (J, K) Chrysophyte cyst, agricultural feature, Hawaii, Late Holocene. (L) Chrysophyte cyst, Palaeolake sediments, Northern Awash, Ethiopia, Late Pliocene. Authors: K. Neumann (A–D, F–I); C. Yost (E, J–L).
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Spheroid echinate (A–J) and potential confusers (K–N). (A–I) From soil surface samples and Holocene archaeological sites in West and Central Africa. (J) Cocos nucifera (Arecaceae), leaf. (K–N) Silica bodies with similarity to both spheroid echinate and asterone microscleres. Palaeolake sediments, Northern Awash, Ethiopia, Late Pliocene. Authors: K. Neumann (A–I); C. Yost (J–N).
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Spheroid ornate. (A–O) From soil surface samples and Holocene archaeological sites in West and Central Africa. Author: K. Neumann.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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