Charred Redshanks (Adenostoma sparsiflolium) Twig

This is ash from a twig of Redshanks collected in southern California. It was prepared in a laboratory muffle furnace. The ash content is high and tends to flux with the calcium compounds. A number of calcium oxalate phytoliths can be seen here but most have already been modified by the potassium and sodium residues in the ash and formed new, more complex compounds.