Phytoliths: The Storytelling Stones Inside Plants

These microscopic structures, which arise from silica present in plant tissues, are finding a wide variety of uses, from archaeology to forensics.

Biology Botany

Current Issue

This Article From Issue

March-April 2015

Volume 103, Number 2
Page 136

DOI: 10.1511/2015.113.136

Charles Darwin’s voyage aboard the Beagle is legendary in the history of science, and yet one of his notable observations is barely known. Before he glimpsed some of the finches that would bear his name and provide the inspiration for the theory of natural selection, he was one of the first scientists to remark on the uniqueness of microscopic silica bodies called phytoliths.

Image courtesy of C.A.E. Strömberg and R.E. Dunn.

To access the full article, please log in or subscribe.

American Scientist Comments and Discussion

To discuss our articles or comment on them, please share them and tag American Scientist on social media platforms. Here are links to our profiles on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

If we re-share your post, we will moderate comments/discussion following our comments policy.