Grasslands are the most widespread continental floral associations.
However, proxies such as pollen, charcoal or carbon isotopes cannot trace the wide range of grasslands adapted to various soil environments and climatic conditions. Phytolith assemblage analysis is a promising tool to fill this gap. Morphological analysis of phytolith assemblages has recently proved itself, while oxygen isotopic studies of phytoliths have a great potential. The same morphotype is produced by most of woody plants. Moreover, the tree cover density of a given vegetation can be estimated with accuracy through a third phytolith index.