Dear Lena,
I agree with Johannes. These look like specimens that I see here in the
eastern U.S. that are naturally occurring in the soil that are related
to fungi. I believe they are called sclerotia. They are black in color
and are not necessarily charred. When dissected they reveal a black or
brownish/black solid interior with some texture depending on the
specimen. There is no evident internal seed structure.
Tonya Largy, M.A.
Archaeobotany Consultant
Wayland, Massachusetts
U.S.A.
jbg.walter wrote:
>
> Dear Lena,
>
> What about the inner structure of these objects? Check also
> truffles/fungi – (They are very diverse.)
>
> Best,
>
> Johannes Walter
>
> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> *Von:* The archaeobotany mailing list
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] *Im Auftrag von *Sergusheva Lena
> *Gesendet:* Montag, 08. Februar 2010 01:49
> *An:* [log in to unmask]
> *Betreff:* unidentified seeds
>
> Dear colleagues, I need your help. Now I am working with the seed's
> collection from Medieval settelment from Southern part of Primorye
> area of Russia (Far East of Russia, on the border with China). And
> among a great number of seeds of cultural plants I found a lot of
> seeds which I can not identify. I have no idea what are these seeds.
> They have no certain form. Some of them are roundish or oval. The part
> of them has triangular section, others – oval. Size is about
> 3.5-2.4-2.1mm or less. They look like Polygonatum sp.(I sow the photo
> of its seeds in "Seeds and fruits of Japan" by Shigeo Ishikava, Tokyo
> 1994). But I am not sure and I have not reference seeds for comparing.
> Any ideas are wellcome. Lena SERGUSHEVA PhD, reseacher Department of
> Prehistory Archaeology Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology
> Far Eastern Branche of Russian Academy of Sciencies Pushkinskaya Str.,
> 89, Vladivostok, 690650, RUSSIA
>
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