Grape Family (Vitaceoxylon)
Tertiary Uncertain locality of origin ** Well, the vessels are not quite as large as grapes, but they are BIG. They are so large, you can actually see them quite well in the regular size photo above, but they can be better seen by clicking the photo for a closer view. We've even included a photomicrograph to show the excellent preservation of the entire limb. Note also the indistinct nature of annual growth rings which suggests it is one of the evergreen members of the Grape Family. There are many different species in the Cissus and Rhocissus genera of the Grape Family living today that are evergreen. Most of them and their forebears are -- or were -- climbing vines and lianas which needed big vessels to pump water a long distance along relatively small diameter stems and tendrils. Nice piece both on the face and the exterior! 2.5” x 2” on polished face; limb section is up to 3.75” $35 |
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Grass stems (Tomlinsonia sp.)
Barstow Beds Formation, Miocene Lenwood Road, near Barstow, California ** The Mojave Desert during Miocene time had scattered oases with grasses, palms, and marsh vegetation. Two different grasses from the Mojave Desert have been described in the professional literature (Tomlinsonia stichkania and Tomlinsonia tomassonii) but this appears to be a different but undescribed species of the genus Tomlinsonia. The size of these grass stems far exceeds the ones described in the literature by at least three to four times the diameter. All of the Mojave Desert Tomlinsonia grass species described in the literature are from the Miocene and so is this specimen. Our photomicrographs show some of the interesting levels of preservation throughout this slab for both the grass culms and leaves. If you seek the unusual and superb contrast and definition, you just found it! 8.5” x 5” on polished face; slab 3/8” thick $160 |
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Conifer (Pinales Order)
Tropico Group, Miocene Boron Dry Lake near Mojave, California ** For the agate collector in you, this is one you will want to have for its beauty, its locality, and its agatized charm. We initially did a double take! Those white dots on the photomicrograph suggested vessels but an intensive examination of the entire limb revealed that it is a conifer and the white dots were just some of the tracheids that had petrified white rather than golden, brown or green - the other colors in this handsome limb. We've posted two different photomicrographs to show exactly what we mean. Those squarish structures are the tracheids of a conifer, no matter what color they finally ended up! We were quite pleased to make the determination because the vast majority of fossil wood from Boron is one or another angiosperm with vessels. Very few conifers have been found there. The proximity of Boron Dry Lake to Los Angeles -- and the top quality of the agate here -- caused this area to be totally collected out by the early 1970s. Because it is superb agate, much of the material was cut up for costume jewelry, not collector specimens. We are seeing less and less Boron on the market, so don’t let this one pass you by. 2.5" x 2.25" on polished face; 3" long limb section $44 |
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Maple Nurse Log with penetrating rootlets (Acer sp. & Incertae sedis)
Little Butte Formation, Mehama Volcanics; Oligocene Sweet Home Petrified Forest, Linn County, Oregon ** Take a close look at this really interesting nurse log. This maple log was dead, down and beginning to rot in the forest duff when it served as a nurse log for other plants. See our photomicrographs to see how these new growths began to penetrate the rotting log which likely retained plenty of moisture for germination and sprouting. There is only a small portion of the slab that has good preservation of the Acer sp. - a testament to the rotting nature of the log. There are numerous very small rootlets that have begun to grow in the more digested portions of the log. We love these specimens with a story to tell. The culmination of this story begins with the volcanic eruption that must have covered the log killing all of the plants it hosted. A coating of volcanic ash surrounding the slab verifies the final result - preservation via permineralization. It was then simply a matter of (a long) time waiting until a rockhound dug up the log and turned it into a collectible specimen. 6.5” x 6” on polished face; 7/16” thick slab $89 |
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