Search the Community

L.S., Wanted to share this "mini ecosystem" in fossilized form. The photos below show a rhizome of Osmunda pluma Miller 1967, a member of the royal fern family, from the Paleogene of the Fort Union Group (probably the Sentinel Butte Fm.) near Glenn Ullin in Morton County, North Dakota. On the first photo you can see a central stele surrounded by "eyes", which are cross-sections through the petioles of the leaves of the fern (see for comparison this section made through an extant Osmunda cinnamomea rhizome). More to the top and bottom of the photo, parallel lines are visible. These are the remnants of a woody texture, probably of some kind of gymnosperm (see also the second image, a flatbed scan of the entire slab containing the fern rhizome). According to Miller (1967, p. 143) the fern was growing on a so-called "nurse log": when a tree in the woods falls over and starts to decay, this can provide an excellent opportunity for new plants to grow! See for example these lovely examples of modern nurse logs. Cheers, Tim Fern rhizome of Osmunda pluma Miller 1967 showing central stele and petioles The fern rhizome is embedded in a woody texture, interpreted as a nurse log.

Maybe 6-7 years ago, I was at a local gem/mineral show. There was really just one dealer with a variety of fossils. it was a mix of what was left of a family collection that he had bought plus other stuff he picked up. He had lowered the price on whatever hadn't sold at the previous show. He had several Mazon Creek specimens - mostly small "ferns" in nodules plus a weird arthropod-looking thing. I had hardly any Mazon Creek stuff other than what I think is a Paleoxyris so I asked him what he would take for the group. It was super-cheap so I bought the pile. I thought it was cool that I got both halves as it makes it a more interesting display piece. The nodule is about 2 1/2 inches (58mm) long It was labelled simply as "Will County, IL cone" so I was left to assume it's a Mazon Creek piece just out of what it looks like. is it a cone? If so, what plant?. If not, what is it? I have an older reference for the plants of the deposit, "Guide to Pennsylvanian Fossil Plants of Illinois" by james R. Jennings but it's buried in a box somewhere and may be outdated. I'll still try to dig that out just to see what it says. I request the opinions of the "Mazon Creek regulars," the names I see pop up when the subject of the fauna and flora comes up, plus anyone else with an interest. @RCFossils @Nimravis, @deutscheben, @connorp Thanks, Jess

So here are two more fossil "leaves"- one I found in Missouri but not sure where and the other (dark) purchased at a gem and mineral show in St. Louis when I was a kid-I have no idea where it was found, but I do remember it was a "local" show. The first was part of my early fossil museum ( at that time there was no fee for entering I was only 12!!! ). Am I correct with the little card?. Don't know how I came up with the species. I don't know the other one at all but it was "found" and then filed/sanded into this shape is all I know. Thanks for any help i.d.ing! Bone