Forensic Botany

Abstract

The average person enjoys plants in a multiple ways in his day-to-day life. The plants are everywhere in nature and the study of scientific techniques used for plants to answer questions relevant to the legal system is termed forensic botany and plants may occur as forensic evidence at a crime scene which have the potential to provide links between crime scenes and individuals/suspect. In conventional method of investigation, generally the botanical evidences are overlooked as the agencies involved in criminal justice system are not much aware about the specific potential use and advantages of plant evidence but the subject knowledge may turn the routine observations into case-cracking evidences. However, plant research continues in academic and private research institutions continuously and new tools are being developed that can be eventually applied to forensic botanical evidence to aid in criminal investigation. Consulting with an expert in plant systematics is an excellent place for the legal investigator to start when trying to obtain line of investigation pertaining to botanical evidences. Some experts work with only a single group of plants and some work with many groups and have a good knowledge of the entire field of botany.

However, Many plant materials cannot be identified and differentiated to the species level by traditional morphological characteristics when botanical specimens are degraded and lack physical features. The use of new techniques based on DNA fingerprinting provide novel approaches to varietal identification which offer advantages over traditional morphological comparisons. DNA is unique to each organism, so knowing the order of the DNA allows scientists to identify its species.

Botanical evidences includes pollens, spores, wood traces, etc. Wood can be found at crime scenes in many forms: as a murder weapon, as material used to hide a body, or as trace evidence from forced entry or vandalism. In the process, wood fragments get attached or linked to the culprit or victims. These fragments can often be identified and linked to standards from the crime scene. Due to ever increasing refinement in the analysis of botanical evidences, the forensic botany is emerging as very crucial approach in crime investigation.