This document discusses forensic botany and how botanical evidence can be used to solve crimes. It explains that forensic botany applies the scientific study of plants to criminal investigations. Specific areas covered include the identification of wood, plants, pollen, and algae. Methods like forensic palynology and forensic limnology are examined for how they can be used to analyze botanical evidence found on victims or at crime scenes. The document also provides guidance on properly collecting and preserving botanical evidence for analysis.

1. Forensic Biology
Unit 2

2. Botany vs. Forensic Botany
 Botany is the scientific study of the physiology, structure, genetics, ecology,
distribution, classification, and economic importance of plants.
 Forensic Botany is putting the above knowledge in use for solving crimes.
 Criminal wood smuggling
 Crimes where pollens or leaf extracts can help fix SOC – Forensic palynology
 In drowning deaths – Forensic Limnology

3. Identification of wood
 Sub branches of General botany
 Plant Morphology
 Plant Anatomy
 Plant Systemics
 Plant propagation
 Plant ecology

4. Identification of wood
 Plant morphology

5. Identification of wood
 Plant Anatomy

6. Identification of wood
 Plant Systemics

7. Identification of wood
 Plant Systemics is the study of plant diversity that includes taxonomy and plant
evolutionary relationships.
 This is the study of how plants are currently classified or grouped based on
different morphological or molecular characteristics.
 A basic understanding of how different plant species are related to one another
can help with distinguishing between plant species that look similar (and may be
closely related) and accurately identifying real differences between two samples
that may have evidentiary value from a crime scene.

8. Identification of wood
 Plant Propagation

9. Identification of wood
 Plant Ecology
 Studies the abundance of plants in
different seasonal regions, their
conservation and their relationship with
humans and the sustenance of the
universe.

10. Identification of
wood
 Root
 Roots anchor the plant in the soil and take up minerals, salts, and water, and store
food.
 In grasses and monocotyledonous species, the roots form a fibrous cluster and are
of approximately equal size.
 In most dicotyledonous plant species, like carrots and radishes, a main root
(taproot) grows downward and smaller roots grow off the main root.

11. Identification of wood
 Stem
 Stems are support structures above the soil surface and can be green or woody,
and can possess protective thorns or modifications such as tendrils.
 Leaves are distributed in regular patterns along a stem. The part of the stem where
a leaf is connected is a node; the stem between nodes is called the internode.

12. Identification of wood
 Flowers
 Floral buds can be arranged in clusters along a stem, between the node and the
stem (an axillary position), or at the tip of each stem (a terminal position).
 A flower consists of specialized leaves, and those parts are called the sepals, petals,
stamens, and carpels.

13. Identification of wood
 Leaves
 As we all know, leaves are specialized structures for performing photosynthesis and transpiration.
 Photosynthesis, as previously discussed, is a process for obtaining nutrients for a plant.
 Transpiration is a process by which plants lose water to the environment as vapor. The high surface-
to-volume ratio of a flat, thin leaf is helpful for gas exchange as well as allowing for sunlight to
penetrate all cells.

14. Identification of wood
 Plant cell

15. Identification of wood
 Plants are classified in many ways.
 Vegetables & herbs
 Fruit bearing plants
 Landscaping plants
 Grasses
 Toxic plants

16. Identification of wood
 Woods of significance

17. Identification of wood
 Woods of significance

18. Identification of wood
 Woods of significance

19. Identification of wood
 Case study

20. Forensic Palynology
 Pollens and juices from plants can be deposited on victim / accused and can be
used a secondary link o prove one’s presence and involvement in crimes.
 It is a secondary transfer that we want to prove here.

21. Forensic Palynology
 Botanical evidence can be found associated with a wide variety of crimes. The exact
location of the botanical evidence and the type of samples recovered will be highly
dependent on the type of crime. Botanical evidence that appears foreign to the crime
scene is the easiest type to recognize and occurs primarily as displaced leaves, seeds, or
pollen that do not appear associated with plants in the vicinity. Some types of botanical
evidence are more difficult to identify, such as leaves that have been removed from a
plant or broken branches. It is useful to document this type of information, but one
must bear in mind that a broken branch may not actually be associated with the crime.
However, if leaves or seeds are discovered on a body in an abandoned automobile, it
may help in determining the primary crime scene and the perpetrator.

22. Forensic Palynology
 Primary crime scenes are where a body or criminal event has occurred and
the evidence and the body remain at the site. Secondary crime scenes are
where, for example, the body was dumped but not where the homicide
took place. Another example of a secondary crime scene is where stolen
equipment is recovered in a toolshed but was removed from the primary
residence several miles away. At a primary crime scene, botanical evidence
can be located in, on, or around the body. Some examples include leaves
on the back of a victim, algae in the mouth of a victim, or pollen grains
inhaled by the victim and lodged in the nasal cavity. At a secondary crime
scene, leaves, branches, and pollen associated with a body, caught in the
undercarriage of an automobile, or retained inside stolen electronic
equipment can provide a link back to the primary scene. Botanical
evidence may be useful in determining or reconstructing key aspects of
the crime. For example, all crime scenes have the following elements: a
point of entry, a path traveled by the perpetrator, a target area where the
crime occurred, and a point of exit

23. Forensic Palynology
 We collect the botanical evidence from clothes / body etc.
 We examine under the microscope to study the pollen grains, juice extracts etc. to
compare.
 Control samples from the suspected area are also necessary.

24. Toxic plants
 Identification from fecal matter, BAL etc.
 Identification when seized
 Commonly seen in drug peddling cases.

25. Toxic plants
Calotropis

26. Toxic plants
Abrus

27. Toxic plants
Cannabis

28. Toxic plants
Oleander

29. Forensic Limnology
 In drowning, water enters the alveolar spaces in the lungs. This causes cessation of
breathing, lack of oxygen supply to the cells (hypoxia) and death.
 The changes induce haemodilution (water in blood), hypervolemia (reduction in
blood due to trauma), hypnonatremia(reduction in sodium), hyperkalemia
(reduction in potassium) and haemolysis (lysis of blood).
 The body is heaver than water and drowns. But slowly decomposition starts and causes
gas production, which causes bloating and the body floats.
 One of the signs of drowning would be large amounts of froth present around
nostrils and mouth in freshly drowned bodies. This is because of the air passages
gasping for breath in the water.
 The skin becomes wrinkled, pale and sodden like a “washer woman’s skin”.
 There is detachment of the thick keratin of hands and feet which pull off in “glove
and stoking fashion” (de-gloving).
 The lungs will be heavy due to the water. And will have lot of blood vessel breakages.

30. Forensic Limnology

31. Forensic Limnology
 Identification of cause of drowning – whether the person died
due to the drowning or whether drowning was staged to
cover up a earlier crime is the key to drowning case
investigation.

32. Forensic Limnology
 Limnology is the study of algae, specifically diatoms.
 Diatoms like already mentioned are algae with silicaceous
layer for a cell wall. They naturally occur in many different
shapes and sizes.

33. Forensic Limnology
 Diatoms are interesting algae, as there are so many different
shapes of them available and they are also seen particularly in
specific water bodies – they are almost unique to the water
body they are present in. There will only be minimal similarity
in algae found in nearby water bodies.

34. Forensic Limnology
 These diatoms are not easily degradeable due to the
silicaceous layer.
 They enter the human body during drowning deaths.
 In a person who is already dead and later falls into water, the
diatoms in the water will enter into all his un-sterile body
parts – meaning the parts where they can easily enter.
 But in a person who dies due to the drowning, due to
hemodilation and breakage of blood vessels that happen, the
algae are deposited even in the sterile parts of his body.

35. Forensic Limnology
 In drowning cases, one sample that is important to collect is
the water sample in the water body, and during the autopsy
sterile area needs to be collected.
 Sterile areas are the long bone marrows and brain.
 The common sterile area used is the long bone marrow from
femur and sternum.

36. Forensic Limnology
 Extraction from water samples
 Water is treated with HCl. Mixed and left in room temperature
– Later supernatant is discarded.
 Add conc H2So4. Blackening of organic material will take
place.
 Collect the supernatant and add NaNo3
 Reheat until color turns brown and then clear.
 Wash using distilled water.
 Residue is re-suspended using acetone.

37. Forensic Limnology
 From Bones
 Bones are treated with conc HNO3. Boiled for overnight period of
time in a fume hood.
 The bone gets digested in acid.
 This is later checked and if required boiled with more acid.
 Finally the bone matter is digested and the bone marrow extract is
left over.
 Diatoms are able to withstand acid digestion due to the silicaceous
layer.
 The final output is centrifuged after cooling
 The residue is treated with acetone and viewed under the
microscope.

38. Forensic Limnology
 Interpretation
 If the diatoms present in both the water sample and the bone
are the same, it suggests that the person had drowned in the
water and dies.
 If the diatoms are absent in bone, but present in water – it
could mean post-mortem drowing.
 If diatoms are absent in both, it may require re-testing.
 If diatoms are present only in the bone and not in the water,
the water alone is re-tested.

39. Collection of Botanical evidence
 The collection of plant fragments, seeds, flowers, and fruits should all be
performed by hand.
 Whole plants and any fragments that may potentially be useful for a physical
match should be collected as well as any pieces associated with a body.
 Botanical fragments in and on motor vehicles should be collected; in particular,
the wheel wells, in and under floor mats, the undercarriage, pedals, windshield
wipers, vents, trunk, and engine compartments should be fully examined. Care
should be taken to avoid vacuuming a vehicle for microscopic trace evidence until
all plant fragments have been collected by hand.

40. Collection of Botanical evidence
 Botanical evidence should be collected in paper, not plastic, when possible.
 Plant matter in stomach contents would most likely be collected during autopsy
by the medical examiner. Fecal matter deserves a special note on collection
methods since it differs from most aspects of botanical collection. For fecal
matter and later possible plant identification, the sample should be kept moist. If
a fresh deposit, then the sample should be stored in glass or plastic. Dried feces
or soiled clothing can be placed in paper bags and sealed.
 For microscopic analysis for plant cell identification, a 10% formalin solution as a
preservative is acceptable. However, if plant DNA analysis may be performed,
storing the sample in a freezer is optimal.

41. Upcoming fields – Forensic Botany
 DNA present in nucleus – DNA database / Barcoding of plants
 Seed & fruits are individual for each tree (hypothesis)