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Forensic Botany
Within forensic biology, we have the category of forensic botany. Forensic botany deals with the study of plants, leaves, seeds, and pollen or plant properties (such as anatomy, growth, behavior, classification, population dynamics, and reproductive cycles) that can lead to traces of evidence in crime scenes that would be considered physical evidence. Before a plant can aid the investigations, the plant must be identified first to see if it is from the location that the plant was found. Forensic botany can help investigators by providing a link between an individual and the crime scene by pinpointing the geographical location of missing bodies or estimate where the burial took place. Another way that is is used is through the interrogation process where investigators compare the traces that the victim(s) are found and compare to the statements of the suspect(s). Forensic botany can also reveal whether a death is due to suicide, accident, or homicide. Another example of forensic botany aiding investigators is by moss, moss can establish the PMI of a human skeletal, through its growth rate.

Example:

An elderly man fell a steep hillside and was found dead. They concluded that the man did not die because of the fall but from hypertensive heart disease. Forensic botany concluded that fall was approximately 10 m and there was a lane that joined the hill path around 9 m perpendicular form the body. It showed he had leaves on his left hand and sweater. There were also broken bushes in the scene. Forensic scientists who specialize in forensic botany had grabbed five soil samples and some plant samples from the scene. The plant samples were analyzed through optical microscopy, and they also examined the victims' clothing since it did carry some plant elements present. In this, they did a macroscopic and microscopic analysis which were compared to the collected samples on the scene. It's concluded that there was no evidence of struggling caused by another person instead, the elderly man had lost his balance.

Subspecialties In Forensic Botany
There are subdisciplines within forensic botany examples include forensic palynology (study of pollen and spores) Dendrochronology (study of the growth of rings of trees stems and roots), Lichenology, mycology, and bryology. Palynology for example can produce evidence of decomposition time, location of death, or the time of year. Bryology is the easiest to find evidence since bryophyte (a species of plants) attaches to shoes and clothes easily. Bryophyte useful since even if it is ripped apart or broken down, DNA can still be analyzed. Ways in which DNA can be analyzed is through the microscope or other sophisticated DNA testing.