A short note on starch and xylem of Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato) in archaeological deposits from northern New Zealand

Abstract

This study examines preservation of microfossils identified as introduced Ipomoea batatas in soils from northern New Zealand. Starch grains and xylem cells showed highly variable preservation, from good to extremely poor. For starch grains, the latter included brown-staining, expansion and distortion of the grain and vacuole, loss of the Maltese cross, pitting, cracking, fragmentation and disintegration. Degraded xylem showed similar brown-staining, occasional cracking, cross-wise fragmentation, with wall pits becoming progressively less visible or showing distortion, expansion and coalescence.

Keywords

Starch, xylem, preservation, Ipomoea batatas, Polynesia, New Zealand.