Artifacts

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Sedge

Sedge These charred sedge (Cyperaceae) seeds came from a feature excavated after road construction uncovered intact remnants of a late precontact Oneota site under STH 35 in Onalaska, Wisconsin, in 2012. The seeds probably came from charred thatch that lined the feature when it was used as a storage pit for plant foods such as corn, beans, and Chenopodium (goosefoot or lambsquarters). Over 143 triangular sedge seeds were identified when plant remains from the feature were analyzed under a microscope. Examples pulled for measurement were around 2.5 to 3 mm (about 1/10 inch) in length. Corn kernels had burned into the thatch in some places, suggesting burning within the pit when there were still some stored plant foods left in it.