The application of plant science to legal investigations, using plant material such as leaves, seeds and pollen to link individuals to crime scenes, locate remains, or help establish a post-mortem interval.
Facts
What It ExaminesSourced to the subject's own accountPlant material such as leaves, seeds and pollen, used to link individuals to crime scenes, locate remains, or establish a post-mortem interval. 1 Formalized YearSourced to the subject's own accountDates to the 1935 Lindbergh kidnapping trial, where wood anatomist Arthur Koehler traced a ladder rail to a specific board in the suspect's attic, the first widely cited use of plant-material evidence to solve a crime. Known LimitationSourced to the subject's own accountPlant evidence is highly perishable, and its availability depends on season, climate and how quickly a scene is processed, which limits its use in many cases. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Forensic botany and forensic entomology are the two principal biological trace disciplines used to reconstruct scene history and time since death.
Sources
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