Plant Remains From Phillips Spring,A Multi Component Site In The Western Ozark Highland Of Missouri

Abstract

Phillips Spring (23Hi216) is a multicomponent archaeological site associated with an active artesian spring on a terrace of the Pomme de Terre river in western Missouri. Preservation of both carbonized and uncarbonized plant remains is excellent and remains of plants representing 32 taxa, including 24 potential food plant, occur atthe site as well as eight taxa of wood charcoal. In addition, there are remains of squash (Cucurbita pepo) and bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) dating 4260 B.P., 40008.), 1999 B.P., and squash dating 2293 B.P. When combined with data from a Woodland storage pit at nearby Boney Spring (squash dated at 1920 B.P.) and Blackwell Cave (bottle gourd at 730 B.P.), it appears that these cultigens were being grown in the western Missouri Ozarks for much of the last 4000 years. Phillips Spring is a multicomponent (Late Archaic and Middle Woodland) site situatedon a terrace of the Pomme de Terre River in Hickory County, Missouri. Discovered in 1973, the site was subsequently excavated during four field seasons: 1974, 1976, 1977 and 1978. The 1974 excavations defined four cultural horizons including three Late Archaic and a Woodland component (Chomko 1976) and produced numerous well preservedplant remains. The presence of squash (Cucurbita pepo) in the earliest component, later associated with a date of3927 B. P., prompted additional testing of the site in 1976 and full scale excavation in 1977 and 1978 (Kay 1978, Robinson 1978). Results of the 1974 excavations have been previously discussed (Chomko 1978, Chomko and Crawford 1978) and the present paper discusses the plant remains from the 1976 and more extensive 1977 excavations. While the 1978 material, presently awaiting analysis, will undoubtedly increase both our knowledge of activity patterns at the site and our sample size of specific types of features and biotic remains, it will probably not add substantially to the extensive list of plant taxa which have been recovered from the spring.