Pollen and phytoliths in stone mounds at Pouerua, Northland, New Zealand: Implications for the study of Polynesian farming

High-resolution pollen and phytolith analyses can provide direct evidence f or farming in archaeological landscapes. This is demonstrated here in the a nalysis of two mounds at Pouerua, northern New Zealand, where evidence indi cates both functional and temporal differences between the structures, and the presence of gourd Lagenaria siceraria provides direct, unequivocal evid ence that this crop was cultivated and that the site was used as a garden.