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Tupelo (Nyssa sp.)
Juntura Formation, Late Miocene/Early Pliocene Stinking Water Mountain, near Burns, Harney County, Oregon ** A rare opportunity here to acquire an extraordinary thick, heavy slab of Nyssa sp. from this classic location. Although the Stinking Water wood is mostly known for the oaks it has produced, there are quite a few other taxons represented as well. In their 1959 publication Miocene Floras of the Columbia Plateau, Chaney and Axelrod identified leaves from 41 species in 26 genera within 21 different families. And those are only the leaves - the pollen in that flora added over another dozen species of vegetation. To be fair, they identified leaves of 5 different oaks so it is no surprise that they helped make the locality famous - they are prolific. Our offering here is one of those other taxons that is much more scarce from the diggings. Tupelos are water-loving trees and it is interesting that Chaney and Axelrod surmise that one of the three Stinking Water leaf localities was a lowland, perhaps swampy habitat which would favor trees like Nyssa, Alnus and similar. If you value different taxons from a locality in a gorgeous form, this is an opportunity not to miss! Please see the adjacent photomicrograph - note the really small vessels (well under 50 microns in diameter) - and notice also that growth rings are indistinct. These characteristics are still extant on Nyssa species growing in Asia while Nyssa species growing today in North America have slightly larger vessels and commonly distinct growth rings. The difference is caused by climate differences between that in the Late Miocene and the Lower Mississippi region where Tupelo thrives today. Please note that this is a thick heavy (6.5 pounds) slab and would be quite expensive to ship internationally, but it is doable and so worth it! 10” x 8.5” on polished face; 1” thick slab $249 (immediately qualifies for our discount on orders over $200) |
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Sycamore (Platanus sp.) Denver Formation, Dawson Member, Paleocene East of Parker, Colorado ** The old-timers valued these red Parker Wood pieces even more than the yellow ones. Of course, if you follow Mills Geological you already know that we avoid the Parker Wood that has no remaining wood anatomy (and that means around 90+% of it) so we were happy to come across this nice red Parker wood with remaining sycamore wood anatomy (see our photomicrograph). Long called "Parker wood" by rockhounds, this material is widespread over the high plains of Eastern Colorado -- from Parker, Colorado, all the way out east to the border with Kansas. Included in this area is the tiny railroad hamlet of Agate, Colorado. Guess why the railroad stop was called "Agate"? Of course, the material was mostly just agate limb casts with very little to hint that it had started out as wood. We generally prefer our petrified wood in full rounds with complete growth rings and a clear center. But, every once in a while, we find a specimen that is just too aesthetically beautiful to pass up even if it does not meet all of these requirements. This is a small chunk off of a large tree. But it is the more uncommon red agatized material and it does have wood anatomy structure preserved. Look back at that macro photo and see if you don't agree with us that this is an exceptionally beautiful specimen and worthy of the best collections. If you agree, then don't hesitate to order it! 5" x 2.75" on polished face; 1/4" thick slab $50 |
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Juniper (Juniperus sp.)
Toe Jam Creek Formation, Oligocene Tuscarora, Nevada ** A beautiful slab from a renowned locality. The Tuscarora locality is famed for its brilliant reds/yellows and its interesting patterns. In fact, some of the "old-timers" called it "bacon" because the wood reminded them of fatty bacon from corn-fed hogs. But, we just call it strikingly beautiful! All of the wood we have ever seen from Tuscarora is "squished," into ovals rather than existing in rounds indicating that perhaps it was quite wet and spongy when it was buried under a great deal of volcanic ash. It is possible that the deposit might have been a pond with sunken logs in a "waterlogged" condition, making them susceptible to being compressed by the great weight of the ash into oval and diamond shapes instead of their original round configuration. We particularly like this specimen because it has extremely well-defined growth rings. And of course, there's that color. 9" x 5.5" on polished face; 1/2" thick slab $140 |
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Conifer (Pinales Order) Miocene Rhyolitic Flow Badger Flat, near Vya, Nevada ** Here’s a beautiful polished face with a very nice differentially-weathered natural side on the reverse! This end cut shows wide growth rings which seem to be separated as if the log was underwater and beginning to swell up. When you turn the piece over, the weathered view is a great character piece. (May be our favorite side.) This log was definitely dead and down before the advent of the volcanic eruption. The wide growth rings suggest that the tree was growing on a superior bit of habitat. We like the fact that this specimen tells its own life story. 6.5" x 2.5” on polished face; up to 1” thick end cut $45 |
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Ancient conifer (Araucarioxylon sp.)
Mesozoic Madagascar ** ANOTHER EXCELLENT SMALL SPECIMEN with a US polish! We are continuing to list some of the trove of recently acquired Madagascar specimens that we consider particularly handsome, interesting and desirable. This specimen is small - we like to say "apartment size" for collectors with limited storage and display space. But like the old adage says - great things sometimes come in small packages. The autumnal colors and striking ray pattern in this specimen make it a fine display piece. Compare any Madagascar pieces already in your own collection with this one and see if you are ready for a reasonable cost upgrade. You won't be disappointed with this smaller specimen. And there's that polish that doesn't look anything like most of the Madagascar specimens you have seen. 3.25" x 2.25" on polished face; 7/16" thick slab $23 |
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Ancient conifer (Araucariaceae Family)
Middle to Late Jurassic Chinchilla/Wandoan District, Queensland, Australia ** Lovely slice from the classic Wandoan District of Queensland. It has the kind of growth rings that make a fine display specimen from Australia. The fact that the district produces highly agatized wood that is free of fractures and imperfections means that the polish achieved by our lapidary is mirror bright. And, at this low price, we don't expect that the slice will last long on our website! 5.75" x 3.5" on polished face; 1/4" thick slab $35 |
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Primitive Conifer (Araucarioxylon arizonicum)
Chinle Formation, Triassic Paulsell Ranch, near Navajo, Arizona ** You can expect slices like this one to become very scarce on the market in the future. The Paulsell Ranch which was located immediately adjacent to the east boundary of the Petrified Forest National Park was added to the National Park a few years ago and is now closed to any collecting. Before the acquisition took place there was an opportunity to collect on the ranch for one last time and the effort produced some really handsome slabs. We love the radial grain appearance of this slab as much as we love the soft colors. Manageable size at 3.5", and who could not love the low price? This one will add graceful beauty to your collection. 3.5” in diameter on polished face; 3/8” thick slab $36 |