Announcing a new article publication for Forensic Sciences Research, https://doi.org/10.1093/fsr/owaf026, Green Clues: Unveiling the Role of Bryophytes in Forensic Science, presents the first comprehensive review of bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) as forensic evidence. Bringing together historical cases, modern applications, and a landmark case study, the paper demonstrates how bryophytes can contribute critical information in criminal investigations.
Forensic botany has traditionally focused on flowering plants and pollen, while bryophytes have received little systematic attention despite their ubiquity, persistence, and distinctive morphological features. This paper synthesizes existing knowledge and demonstrates how bryophytes can serve as trace evidence, easily attaching to shoes, clothing, or vehicles and linking suspects, victims, and crime scenes. By consolidating published accounts, news reports, and personal communications from the bryological community, the authors provide a framework for understanding how these plants can contribute to investigative practice.
The study documents a wide range of applications, including homicide and suicide investigations, missing persons cases, and post-mortem interval estimation. Among the cases presented, the paper provides the first peer-reviewed academic account of the Michigan “Baby Kate” case, in which bryophyte fragments recovered from a suspect’s shoe were analysed alongside diatoms and seed plants. This botanical evidence allowed investigators to narrow the search to highly specific wetland habitats, significantly advancing the investigation even though the remains were never recovered.
Further details about the ‘Baby Kate’ case can be found here:
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/field-museum-scientists-assist-in-search-for-missing-babys-body/
https://www.fieldmuseum.org/blog/field-museum-assists-murder-investigation
Bryophytes are widespread, morphologically distinctive, and resilient, with fragments that easily attach to shoes, clothing, or other surfaces. These characteristics make them particularly effective for linking suspects, victims, and locations. Despite this potential, they remain largely overlooked in forensic practice.
The article establishes a scholarly foundation for the role of bryophytes in forensic botany. For researchers, it identifies critical gaps in methodology and training. For practitioners and science communicators, it demonstrates how an underutilized plant group can provide significant insights in investigative contexts.
Related Publication
Jenna Merkel, Matt Konrat, Lloyd Stark, et al. Green clues: unveiling the role of bryophytes in forensic science. Forensic Sciences Research. Volume 10, Issue 3, September 2025, https://doi.org/10.1093/fsr/owaf026

Funding
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), and The Field Museum.

Author Biography
Matthew von Konrat is Head of Botanical Collections at The Field Museum in Chicago, where he oversees one of the world’s most significant bryophyte collections. He received his PhD in Botany from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, where his research focused on the taxonomy, diversity, and conservation of liverworts.
At The Field Museum, von Konrat leads international initiatives on the taxonomy, conservation, and digitization of bryophytes, integrating traditional herbarium work with emerging technologies such as high-resolution imaging and bioinformatics. He has spearheaded projects that have digitized millions of specimens, expanding global accessibility to biodiversity data.
His research focuses on bryophyte systematics and evolution, the use of bryophytes as indicators of environmental change, and their potential applications in forensic science. He has published extensively on bryophyte taxonomy and conservation, contributing to international efforts to document plant diversity.
Von Konrat is actively engaged in public science outreach, citizen science initiatives, and interdisciplinary collaborations that bridge taxonomy, conservation, and applied science. His leadership has also advanced large-scale collaborative projects involving universities, governmental agencies, and citizen scientists worldwide.

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