A microwave digestion method for the extraction of phytoliths from herbarium specimens

The extraction of phytoliths from herbarium and/or fresh plant material to obtain a suite of comparative reference samples is an essential component o f palaeobotanical studies for the accurate interpretation of fossil phytoli th assemblages. A number of established methods have been employed to extra ct phytoliths from plant material including dry ashing and acid digestion. However, while these methods produce good results, they can be time consumi ng and have the potential to produce results with some cross-contamination if not monitored closely. In this study, we trial an alternative method usi ng microwave digestion, and compare the results to those produced using a c onventional dry ashing method. The results of this study indicate that the microwave digestion technique is quick, eliminates concerns of cross-contam ination and produces comparable phytolith assemblages to those of the conve ntional dry ashing method. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserv ed.