ABSTRACT
Forensic botany is the combination of many plant biology disciplines and their application to matters of law (Coyle 2005). Encompassed within forensic botany are aspects of plant anatomy, plant growth and behavior, plant genetics and population studies, and most recently, botanical classication based on morphology combined with plant molecular biology (DNA). e forensic applications are analogous to those in human identication (HID) and include recognition of plant evidence at the crime scene, collection and preservation of plant evidence, maintenance of a chain of custody, an understanding of scientic test methods, validation of novel forensic tests, construction of reference population databases, and testimony for the admissibility of this evidence in a court of law (Coyle 2005; De Forest et al. 1983; Miller Coyle et al. 2001; Lee and Ladd 2001; Lee et al. 2001).
