Toward a Biologically Based Method of Phytolith Classification Introduction

Allelic variation Variation in morphological features of shape or size that is caused by developmental or physical process directly controlled by genes.

Phytolith A silica formation or body formed among plant cells as part of a poorly understood physiological process. Phytoliths can preserve morphological information that can, in the absence of the plant tissues themselves, be used to identify plant taxa, sometimes to the level of species or even variety, in archaeological materials.