Forensic botany is the scientific use of plant materials to help solve crimes. It is study of plant life n order to gain information regarding possible crimes.

2.  Forensic botany is the scientific use of plant materials to
help solve crimes. It is study of plant life n order to gain
information regarding possible crimes.
 Forensic botany is primarily engaged in making
connections between evidence and a crime. Various
plants or plant materials such as pollen at the scene of
crime or a rare plant type present near a murder victim
can be helpful in connecting a suspect to a victim or
scene.
 Forensic botany is similar in its role to that DNA
FINGERPRINTING. just as fingerprint are unique to
individuals, plant material is often unique to certain
ecological areas or plant species

3. Plants allow forensic botanist to identify things
such as what season the crime took place, or
geographical location, whether a body has been
moved following a murder& how long a body has
been buried if it was buried.
Plant materials can be found on dead bodies,
clothes, floor etc

5. DENDROCHOR
ONLOGY
LIMINOLOGY
SYSTEMATICS
ECOLOGY
MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY

6. palyonology
is the study
of pollen,
spores and
other acid-
resistant
microscopic
plant
bodies,
Molecular
biology
deals with
the structure
and function
of the
macromolecul
es (e.g.
proteins and
nucleic acids)
essential to
life.
Ecology
is the study
of organisms
together
with their
environment
s – the study
of
ecosystems.
By its nature
Limnology
is the study of
freshwater
ecology
particularly
the study of
diatoms.
Diatoms are
algal
organisms
plentiful in
many aquatic
s, including
both flowing
and standing
water systems.
systematics
the branch of
biology that
deals with
classification
and
nomenclatur
e; taxonomy.
Dendrochron
ology
is the science
of dating
events and
variations in
environment
in former
periods by
comparative
study of
growth rings
in trees and
aged wood.

7. Homicide or Suicide: These cases were reported in Taiwan which shows
the simple use of plants.
The first case, a body of a young woman was found in the gutter. Since no
bone fractures were seen (before the autopsy) it was taken as a hit and run
case. On viewing the surveillance tapes she was seen but as soon as a truck
passed her she was not seen so it was concluded that she has been hit by
the truck and to hide the accident the driver has hid her body in the gutter.
While during the autopsy some plant material, a tiny berry and stem, were
found in her hairs which were uncommon for that area suspected to be
from the family Solanaceae. Later on, while the investigators visited the
scene of crime they found the similar plants on the railing of the building
present there whose height was such that no person walking on street can
come into its contact. Thus they concluded that the woman has felled from
the top of building and while falling down her body made the contact with
the plants and so the plant materials were transferred to her hairs and
felled into the gutter. The autopsy report mentioned the cause of death as
the impact injuries and the interviews held with her relatives confirmed
her suicidal tendency due to her suffering from depression.

8.  Forensic botany or the uses of plants in criminal
investigation their primary role in criminal investigation is
in making connections between evidence & crime
 Fibers, hair, soil, wood, gunshot residue and pollen are
only a few examples of trace evidence that may be
transferred between people,objects or the environment
during a crime. Investigators can potentially link a suspect
and a victim to a mutual location called as trace evidences
 The materials which can be seen from naked eye without the use
of magnifying glass are called microbotanicals

9. sawdust Roots seeds
leaves pollens woods
plants Diatom

10.  Determine the circumstances &cause of
death
 Estimate time frame in relation to the
death
 Establish where the death could have
taken place
 Determine if there were multiple crime
scene
 Prove or disapprove an alibi
 Place the suspect at the scene of crime

11. Estimating
how long a
person had
been dead
Identifying
plant poisons
detecting
secret graves
of missing
people
What a
person had
eaten prior
to death
Botanist look to
plant life in order to
gain information
regarding possible
crime scenes
In order to prove
suspect was at
crime scene
identify illegal
products from
endangered
species solving
crimes by
matching crime
scene evidence
with suspect
When the person
may have dead
ascertaining if a
body had been
moved after death

13.  Pollen are small micro trace botanical evidence
 Pollens can be recovered from hair, clothes ,vehicle tires, air filter in car an
object in mud
 the “signature” of which pollen grains are present is specific to a particular
place because different plant species occur in different areas and time
because different plant species flower at different times
 All of that makes pollen an ideal biomarker for linking people and objects to
particular places and times, a central need in forensic investigations
 researchers have recently developed a new technique for identifying pollen,
using genetics. Since it makes identification much easier and faster for large
numbers of pollen samples, allowing us to harness the power of pollen to
solve crimes.
 Morphological characteristics are examined of pollen grains are examined
for the identification of various pollen samples

14.  Relate a suspect to crime or discovery scene
 It can establish a link between two places object or people
 Prove or disapprove alibi
 If the pollen recovered from the suspect matches pollen collected
from the crime scene it suggest that suspect was present at that
area
 Determine the how old human remains are
 It may be possible to estimate the time of year at which a crime
took place
 Application of palynology may not be necessary to establish
exact location but it may be possible to rule out certain
geographical location & point the investigation in right direction
 Relate an item left at crime or discovery scene to suspect

15. Its use as evidence is limited primarily to three areas:
 physical matches between broken pieces of wood;
 as a substrate carrying tool marks;
 as small pieces or particles of trace evidence.
 woods often found at the crime scene in the vehicle involved on the person
& his clothing in the form of saw dust splinters, large pieces of wood used
as assault weapon wood belonging to door, window carry tool marks.
 The wood evidence is very much significant because of its Varity & its type
used in building, furniture, it is possible to determine the type of wood
from sawdust particle the microscopic examination is mainly done to
identify the type of evidence
 The crackers in the bark &position of the sawed surface in relation to
longitudinal with placing & their general appearance can give the idea of
type of pieces of woods..
 Imperfection the edge of tools such as knife ,saw leave charters tics marks
that can possibly found on the pieces of wood

16. For the identification of pieces of wood following key factors should be
analyze
SAW MARKS
 A circular saw is a power-saw using a toothed or abrasive disc or blade to
cut different materials using a rotary motion spinning around an arbor.
the marks of the circular saw being more or less curved depending upon
the diameter of the saw
 Machine saw in cutting with machine saw the marks generally regular non
characteristics in formation
 Hand saw- the marks will be irregular and show characteristics
formation identification is often possible whether two cut off pieces
originally belong together
 In frame sawed lumber –the marks arise during upward & downward
direction the marks will be straight & less oblique with reference to the
grain
These saw marks have a special significance in the identification of
wood pieces separated from one another in the direction of the grain
 Drill holes ,nail holes, screw holes in the piece of wood are significant to
establish whether a piece of wood were originally a unit
 The chips that have broken off the handle of chisel hammer or tool used
a mechanical fit prove a link between a crime scene a chip and ultimately
the culprit

17.  Most involve the identification of small pieces of wood or sawdust, and
normally the only comparison that can be made is to complete accurate
identifications of both the questioned and known wood samp lThe
identification of wood requires as well as skill in sectioning and mounting
small particles for microscopically study. Sample preption of wood is
done for the identification of small cut pieces of woods, sawdust,
 The first step is the orientation..
 Orientation is cut to cross section n a transverse section one can observe
lines of cells radiating from the center of the tree, called rays, which are
oriented like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. A section cut in a plane parallel
to the length of the tree and aligned with one of these rays is called the
radial section. The third direction lies in a plane parallel to the length of
the tree, which cuts through the rays at a right angle and is referred to as
the tangential section. he easiest way to determine orientation is to cut a
cross-section straight through the sliver using a sharp razor. The freshly
cut surface is then held in the fingers (or if it is too small in a pair of
forceps) and examined under a stereomicroscope. The directions of the
rays will immediately reveal the true orientation of the fragment.
Particles of sawdust, which are too small to section, are sprinkled on a
slide so that they do not lie on top of one another, boiled in glycerin-
alcohol and observed directly under the microscope. Many of the sawdust
particles will be cut in a generally radial or tangential section and,
therefore, will often show enough characteristics to permit an
identification to be made.

18. Microscopically examination
As a wood-bearing tree grows from a stem, the xylem increases
in proportion until it is the dominant tissue in the plant.
Although it is possible to name a complete tree in great detail,
giving not only its genus and species but perhaps a varietal name
as well, t
microscopically examination of morphological features
 Botanically wood can be of two type hardwood or softwood
identification requires transverse cross section tangential &
radial longitudinal section
 Recognition of various cell types &features of wood such as
tracheid's vessel, rays, axial parenchyma,tylosis etc.
 Distinguish between ring porous & diffuse porous of woods
 Compare within the stem at different ages (sapwood vs.
heartwood) & densities of woods

20. Woody plants share a common trait annual secondary growthh or
growth rings recorded in their tissue the growth rings occur because
growth cells or xylem cells become progressively smaller as the growth
season leads to dormant season in the dormant season there is a
change in the cell size from small to large which make the growth rings
variable in wood this means a woody plant will no longer increasing in
the length & height its trunk, branches roots capable of increasing in
girth the number of growth rings provide the plant age & the variation
in width of each ring reflect the environmental condition the study of
tree ring patter called Dendrochronology which is one of the disciple of
forensic botany
The layer of wood consist of m
cells formed around a tree ste
roots during a single growing
it is seen mostly in cross secti
formed when trees growth sto
slow down during a portion o
year will annual ring

21.  Roots from the woody plants exhibit annual
growth ring that can be used to estimate post
mortem interval.
 When a grave is dug the roots from the
surrounding plants can be disturbed or damaged
but still continue growing.
 In most cases leave a permanent scar & ant growth
ring that form the scar may indicate the number of
growing season that have passed since the damage
occur
 The roots can be form from direct contact with the
bodies or item left such as clothes, skull etc.
for establishing Post mortem interval the roots must
have penetrated the clothes, bone etc. if a root grew
through the nasal opening of skull & the cross
section of the root reveled five growth rings the post
mortem interval would be at least five years

22. One of the particular application of counting annual ring in roots
help in determining
When a body was buried for example the ground around where a
body was found has been shown to e disrupted it can be assumed
that any new growth began approximately by counting the
number of rings in a new growth a date within a year can be
acquired
If a plant that is in the place whre a body is buried is damage it is
infact possible to count the number of annual rings that have een
formed since the injury by studing the length & size of roots
found in burial state an investigators can rely on independent
data that approxiamete average root growth for the same plant
found at the grave. In the case of stem if two pieces of stem
found from a tree to know about whether they belong to the same
tree they can be identified on the basis of external contour of the
stem

23.  A predetermined mathematical formula constant describing the rate of
growth for a particular root would be entered into a along with length of
actual root into a formula resulting in the number of days,weeks or years
that the root has been growing which then relates the number of days,weeks,
or years that the body has been present at that particular site

24.  plant essential features have become increasingly more
common in forensic application A record what the victim ate
just before the death can be obtained by identifying plant cells
peresent in stomact content. In some exact restronaunt that
served the last meal can be estimated plant cells and their
associated hair or trichomes were able to be identified because
of their relative resistance of cellulose wall against gastric juice
 Flower morphology gives an opportunity to identify floral
species using a dichotomous key. Correct identification of the
floral species will help to determine the location of a recent
murder, giving police valuable information as to the identity of
the suspect.

25.  Techniques like Dna fingerprinting,Dna barcoding used these days to
solve the cases in forensic botany it is mainly used for species
identification, endemism of the subject plant(also called DNA
fingerprinting, or DNA typing) is the process of determining an
individual's DNA characteristics, called a DNA profile, that is very
likely to be different in unrelated individuals, thereby being as DNA
profiling is most commonly used as a forensic technique in criminal
investigations to identify an unidentified person or whose identity
needs to be confirmed,[1] or to place a person at a crime scene or to
eliminate a person fromThere are two parts to the standardized
sequence we use for plant DNA barcoding. One is a section of the
large subunit of a gene called ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate
carboxylase/oxygenase (rbcL for short). The other is a gene called
maturase-K (matK). These genes are both essential for a plant to
survive, and are thus present in all plants. Once an investigator
sequences these gene regions from a sample, they can be compared
to a database containing all the known DNA sequences of rbcL and
matK to identify the species.

26.  Has this person died from drowning or was this person dead prior to
‘entering’ the water?
If a person drowns, he/she will struggle in the water and at the same
time, the water (diatoms present in the water) will enter the respiratory
tract. When the heart pumps the oxygenated blood, the diatoms will then
enter the blood circulation and disseminate into the various organs
within the body.
Hence, when diatoms are found in the lungs, liver, kidney, heart, spleen
and even brain, the person has most likely drowned in the water source.
In other words, when diatoms are present in all the organs, it positively
indicates that the person has died from Conversely, when diatoms are
absent in all the organs, the cause of death needs to be investigated
further as it could be death from other causes besides drowning.. When a
person has died prior to ‘entering’ the water source, his/her respiratory
and circulatory systems will have ceased functioning. Under such
condition, diatoms are unable to enter o the circulatory system or the
organs within the body. . Moreover, there may be a situation where only
diatoms are found in the lungs and in such situation, it cannot be
confirmed that death was due to drowning because diatoms can t enter
passively into the lungs drowning.

27.  Has this person drowned in the water source where the
body was found?
Different water sources and water types possess different species of diatoms, not to
mention that some diatoms are only specific to certain water source. Thus, when
freshwater diatoms are detected in the body that was found in the sea further
investigation need to be done to look for the original scene of body of water.
If the species of diatoms found in the body match with the species of diatoms from the
freshwater where the body was found, it positively supports the fact that the person has
drowned in that particular water source. If the species of diatoms found in the body are
totally contrary to the diatoms recovered from the water source, one must be cautious
in interpreting that the person has drowned in that particular water source as it could
be that the person has died elsewhere and then disposed at the current scene where the
body was found.
There are certain species of diatom(s) which are specific to certain water source. This
can help us locate the original drowning scene despite the body being removed and
disposed at another scene where the body was found.

28. Recognition
DOCUMENTATION
COLLECTION
PRESERVATION

29.  Recognization= recognization of permanent evidence one of the gretest
challenge the gensis of problem lies in the reliability on evidence that what is
relevant today may not be relevant tomorrow
 Documentation= documentation is necessary to preserve the character &
manner in which the evidence was collected crime scene photography
 Videotaping, & sketching& diagram each form of documentation is
conducted documentation of transient or transfer evidencetype of evidence
is very important since they may be suitable to change overtime for example
a piece of vegetation material that was recovered from the scene but neigther
documentated nor preserved may degrade documentation may provide
additional benefit to forensic botanist
 Collection-The collection process will usually start with the collection of the
most fragile or most easily lost evidence. Special consideration can also be
given to any evidence or objects which need to be movedthe scientific
requirement depend upon the nature of evidence being collected forensic
botanist should have magnifying glass of 10x, scrappers for scrapping
mosses & lichens felt tipped pens for numbering bryophtyes collection


30.  Handpicking- the simplest & most effective method of
establishing the position of the material or item recovered no
further search is required and various type of metal tweezers
are used to collect or to cut the plants with stem handpicking
are used to collect wood,twigs,plant steam, roots ,flower etc.
 Tape lifting-it is not only successful & useful method but also
indispensible method for picking up the finest traces, isolates
individual constituent adhesive tape of 7.5cm is used to lift the
finest trace on the garments, clothes such as pollen and dust
particle
 vacuuming =the collection of the micro traces hidden
evidences such as sawdust pollen powder, seeds, wood dust
from shirt, motor vehicle ,car ,clothes


32. Packaging
Vegetation “PRESSING & DRYING”
Specimens are pressed flat & dried between sheets of absorbent blotters or semi
absorbent and packed in herbarium sheet
Diatom- obtain a portion of femur bone
Packed in a glass container containing absolute alcohol
Significance whether the bone tissue or water sample carry diatom??
Whether the diatoms from bone or tissue are similar to that found in the water
sample??
Saw dust, splinters pollen, cut pieces of woods are packed n vials or plastic
container
Significance what is type of wood??
Whether the questioned wood or sample wood came from the same location
leaves, fruits & seeds are packed into an individual paper bags
Significance which type of plant these material belong??

34. Use secateurs to cut the steam
 botanical evidences should be labeled with the
following details
 Description of plant height of plant, colour &shape
of flower, steam, seeds &leaves
 It is especially important to sample soil, dust ,dirt
they are abundant at crime scene often thy contain
pollen &spores
 Thy are viewed from phase contrast microscope&
light microscope
 The evidences must be properly packed ,sealed
with appropriate signatures to maintain chain of
custody