4 seeds of that type were found in the filling of a "horno manabita" structure (superposed cooking ceramics in a hole)
Hello Subir,
Thank you for your interest! We don't have yet any photographs of the seeds. We used, in the field camp, an old microscop without option to take pictures of macroremains and priorities were others at that time. That's the reason why we made rapidly some drawings. But we will look at the samples and try to take some now.
Dear Yann,
Apparently the seeds look like those of Actinidia spp. of Actinidiaceae; if the size and ornamentaion match, it may be closer to Actinidia deliciosa/A. arguta. Needs more in-depth studies to confirm it. Good luck!
Dear Subir,
Thank you for your answer!
are Actinidia deliciosa/Actinidia arguta like Kiwis? In that case, these plants weren't known in the ecuadorian coast during the prehispanic periods. In the Actinidiaceae south american branch, we have Saurauia sp. (22 species in Ecuador, 13 in the Andes: www.efloras.org. Arboles y arbustos de los Andes del Ecuador.). Some are edibles. So we will look in that direction.
No idea, why don't you ask at the archaeobotany mailing list at jiscmail.ac.uk?
first responses from archaeobotany mailing list: could be some tipe of cactaceae like Echinopsis spp. or Echinocactus spp.
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