Microfossils of introduced starch cultigens from an early wetland ditch in New Zealand
Abstract
Pollen, phytolith and starch residue analyses of a wetland ditch at Motutangi, far northern New Zealand reveals evidence of early environment and introduced cultigens. During the period of use or infilling, local vegetation largely comprised Gleichenia-Restionaceae swamp and disturbed forest. Starch residues of Colocasia esculenta (taro), Dioscorea sp. (yam) and Ipomoea sp. (possibly I. batatas, sweet potato) are identified, here, and suggest that the ditch systems of far northern New Zealand may have been used for extensive cultivation of taro and other crops. The results include the first direct evidence of Dioscorea in ancient Polynesia.
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Palaeoecologists have usually understood drainage ditches to have generally negative impacts on the preservation of palaeoecological records, although if abandoned and silted-up, they can provide excellent ecological records spanning centuries to millennia.
“Similarly, palaeoecologists have usually understood drainage ditches to have generally negative impacts on the preservation of palaeoecological records although, if abandoned and silted-up, they can provide excellent ecological records spanning centuries to millennia [64][65][66] .”
From Lines in the landscape (2025) · cites this paper as [64]
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- Authors
- Horrocks, M., & Barber, I.
- Affiliations
- University of Auckland (NZ)
- University of Otago (NZ)
- Venue
- Archaeology in Oceania
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2005-10
- Volume
- 40
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 106-114
- ISSN
- 0003-8121 (ISSN-L)
- 0728-4896
- OpenAlex
- W2032248330
- Cited by
- 26
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 16.95
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Archaeology in Oceania/Archæology & physical anthropology in Oceania (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Geography, Planning and Development › Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Amazonian Archaeology and Ethnohistory
- Keywords
- taro, yam, Ipomoea batatas, Ipomoea, crop domestication, paleoecology
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