Australian Museum starch reference collection

Abstract

One of the major limitations on research into plant management systems in Oceania has been the lack of appropriate methods for recovering macroscopic remains in these settings with high rainfall and acid soils. Starch grains have been recognised in archaeological sediments and as residue on the surface of stone tools (Loy 1994; Therin 1994; Therin et al. in press). Accurate identification of these grains would enable a much greater understanding of subsistence systems in Oceania. Previous species identification of starch from the surface of stone tools has been undertaken using very small reference collections, often containing less than 20 individual species (Barton and White 1993; Loy 1994; Loy et al. 1992). The limited range of these reference collections raises questions about the accuracy of the species identification. Â