FORENSIC BOTANY - AN UNDER-UTILIZED RESOURCE

Plants have long been used as both weapons and evidence in criminal in vestigations. The proceedings of Socrates' trial and subsequent adjudi cated suicide by means of Conium brew are in the botanical folklore. I n this country, plants as poisoning agents have always been well known , but only since the Lindbergh kidnapping trial have other kinds of bo tanical evidence gained legal sanction. Botanical resources for forens ic evidence remain underutilized because of the lack of botanical know ledge among most people involved in criminal investigations. However, resourceful investigators and scientists with initiative are beginning to change this. Now, evidence from plant systematics, palynology, pla nt anatomy, plant ecology, and related fields is acceptable. The movin g forces behind increasing the uses of non-traditional scientific fiel ds in criminal investigations continue to be innovative criminal inves tigators and imaginative scientists willing to contribute their talent s to forensic efforts.