Wanfa Gu’s research while affiliated with Zhengzhou Tobacco Institute and other places

The taxonomic differentiation of Panicum miliaceu (broomcorn millet) and Setaria italica (foxtail millet) is of high relevance for archaeology and archaeobotany. The identification of these millets heavily relies on the morphology of the phytoliths in the inflorescence bracts (husks), while other plant parts have been less researched. This study offers a meticulous examination of a distinctive variety of phytoliths in millet leaves, Acute bulbosus. It carries out a comparative analysis of examples of these from modern P. miliaceum and S. italica leaves. To support the robustness of our findings, a case study was done using pieces of burnt clay daub excavated from the Shuanghuaishu site, central China (5,290–4,527 cal bp), which showed clear impressions of millet. The results agree with parallel investigations of diagnostic phytoliths extracted from millet husks, in addition to ethnographic observations of the uses of millet. This research establishes the possibility of differentiating between the leaves of Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica, from the dimensions and shapes of the Acute bulbosus phytoliths there. These distinguishing features are quantified using a range of criteria and show the potential for identifying the remains of leaves of S. italica and P. miliaceum from archaeological contexts by using morphometric distinctions between the Acute bulbosus phytoliths.