Crops, weeds and gathered plants in the vicinity of the mediaeval Castle Kolno, near Brzeg, S-W Poland, and a morphometric approach for some taxa

Abstract

In the present work, numerous species of useful and wild plants were identified in the archaeobotanical samples (moat deposit and two ceramic jugs) collected from the mediaeval locality of the Kolno Castle, near Brzeg, south-western Poland. At the confluence of two rivers, in the vicinity of the castle, it was possible to cultivate cereals on poor alluvial soil, in the ground with a layer of ferruginous concretions. The characteristic weeds of the classes Secalinetea and Chenopodietea indicated the cultivation of winter cereals and garden plants. Polymorphic populations of millet were cultivated. Apart from the annual plants, the following fruit trees were grown: plums, peaches and walnuts. Fruits of many wild species were also gathered for consumption. Correlation analysis of the characters of Prunus L. stones proved that the development of the organ is conservative. Morphometric analysis of the plum stones showed that in addition to the specimens belonging to the species Prunus spinosa L. and Prunus domestica L./Prunus insititia L., there were hybrids between these two species. Multivariate analyses evidenced that the complexes of cultivated and wild plums and cherries can form hybrid syngameons revealing continuous variation and non-random structure. The variability of filbert nuts corresponded to the variability of a large modern population of this species that is composed of many genetically different morphotypes. Variabilities of inter-specific units of fossil and contemporary forms belonging to various taxa were described by ellipsoids of various shapes and arrangements in the three-dimensional ordination space.

Synanthropic flora in the vicinity of the mediaeval Castle Kolno, Stare Kolnie near Brzeg, southwestern Poland

“…The present study aimed to support the data presented earlier (Kosina & Marek 2021) based on new archaeobotanical analyses. This involved the cultivation of cabbage in gardens or small fields and weed infestation of these crops in contact with ruderal habitats.…”

“…This finding was confirmed by later archaeobotanical analyses (Greig 1986; Wiethold 1995; Speleers & van der Valk 2017) as well as by comparative data of fossil materials from the literature of the era (Helweg 2020). Macrofossils from eastern Europe also confirmed the cultivation of this plant (Wasylikowa 1978; Latałowa et al 1998; Kosina & Marek 2021; Badura et al 2015;). The cultivation of cabbage and other vegetables was accompanied by weeds, whose habitat range also included ruderal places with loose and fertile soils.…”

“…They constitute only a part of the taxa identified at the Kolno site and are related mainly to the cultivation of root and vegetable crops and other anthropogenic habitats in contact with them. Diaspores from the two previously analysed vessels, jugs A and B (Kosina & Marek 2021), only are summarised in Table 1. The plants with 10 diaspores or more were Hyoscyamus niger, Solanum nigrum, Setaria pumila, Ch.…”

“…based on the recorded sediments. The samples analysed in an already published study (Kosina & Marek 2021) were taken from ceramic vessels of early 15th-century chronology, whereas the ones being the subject of this paper are from a 14th-century jug found in the lowest layer of the moat fill. Additionally, a soil sample was taken from the same trench in which the vessel was recorded (Table 1, a moat deposit).…”

“…1, 2). Diaspores were selected on several sieves from fossil layers in the moat and from three jugs: A, B and C. Diaspores from vessels A and B were described earlier (Kosina & Marek 2021), and they were used to summarise the data in Table 1, without showing their numbers. Diaspores were analysed based on several carpological keys and a rich collection (RK) of contemporary and fossil diaspores.…”