Late Cretaceous Botanical...stunningly Preserved!

[Tennessees Pride]

This is a specimen of a type of "wood" that has been replaced by iron bearing waters, it is presumed. This looks alot like stigmaria, but it absolutely came from a late Cretaceous formation. If stigmaria, perhaps it was anciently reworked into the Cretaceous sediments? This unidentified specimen is astonishingly preserved! It almost looks as though it will start moving in your hand!!! The whole internal parts can be visually made out....even structures that appear to be veins! Strange....all i can figure is this specimen must be the product of a very violent environment, perhaps a hurricane of something...because it was torn from what it was attached to,in the process, one side of its "bark" was torn away also....revealing it's complex internal composition. Then, it seems, before decomposition could even begin...... !!!!! ...... it was deposited in the sediments that became its home. If that doesn't explain the remarkable preservation, then i am baffled as to what happened. Still, this paleobotanic needs a name. Any ideas?

[Auspex]

This is an amazing piece! I know I have seen something like it, but modern, in the desert southwest, but I have no idea what it is.

[Auspex]

I wonder whether what we are seeing might not be thorn bases, like a Ceiba tree?

[Tennessees Pride]

It is isn't it Auspex! i am enclosing additional photos to show better detail.

[Tennessees Pride]

Perhaps, i couldn't find anything definate upon reviewing the the Ceiba tree and it's accompanying parts, i will search more.

[caldigger]

You want a name for it? How about really cool.

Auspex- the Suborro (sp?) cactus looks a lot like this when the fleshy parts are dried out, leaving the harder woody part behind. Don't know if that is what you were referring to or not.

T.P.- is it hard like rock? the wood structure detail is astonishing.

[Tethys]

It does have a superficial resemblance to the skeleton of a cholla cactus, but I think that is a fossil root of lepidodendron known as Stigmaria.

[barefootgirl]

That's an amazingly beautiful piece of pet wood! Congratulations on that find, it's a keeper for sure!

[Auspex]

It does have a superficial resemblance to the skeleton of a cholla cactus, but I think that is a fossil root of lepidodendron known as Stigmaria.

There are gross similarities, but the Cretaceous origin of this specimen is a couple million years too late.

[Tethys]

There are gross similarities, but the Cretaceous origin of this specimen is a couple million years too late.

Inner core of a Lepidozamia seed cone? The petiole scars of tree ferns also look very similar, but they don't usually cover the entire surface like the pictured specimen.

[xonenine]

do you have any more locale information? Formation would be best..thanks

[Tennessees Pride]

@ Caldigger, yes sir, it certainly is hard like pet wood, the replacing mineral i assume is iron, like something like hemitite maybe. I just call it "iron wood" for lack of a better term. It is also heavy like iron, but not quite as dense. This iron wood type stuff i have found a layer of in a late Cretaceous formation here. As far as i know, no one around here has ever found or reported this type stuff. Already, a couple professors have held specimens of it and were pretty suprised when they saw what it was. I think it to probably be an example of replacement rather than permineralization. I have so far collected a box of this material, and donations of it are being made the university, and a few area museums. As far as i know right now though, this specimen is the only one of its kind i have (botanical). Lots of the iron wood is conifer, and perhaps others also, it's just that,i 'm making so many good discoveries right now that i haven't been able to study this material as much as i should. I will put pics of this type wood on here when i can, there are untold other things that need posting. @ Barefootgirl, it really is! And thank you very much. @ Tethys & Auspex, i have talked to a paleo-botanist about this specimen, he had told me the same things....it looked very much to be stigmaria, but the cretaceous layer had pretty much ruled that out he said.Then he said he really didn't know what it was!!! Which was very suprising to me because the detail is so precise, and that man is an eminent paleo-botanist. It has me wondering too...if not an example or a older specimen being reworked and deposited in a later layer, then it would seem to be a botanic that grew in the late Cretaceous. And thanks for the tip on the Lepidozamia, i will look it up.

[Tennessees Pride]

Xonenine, perhaps i shouldn't say the exact formation for now, but sir, here in Henderson county where i live, there are five late cretaceous formations that i can think of. This "wood" is coming directly out of the formation In Situ. The five formations total around 10 million yr, between 80 and atleast 72 mya. I hope that is helpful.

Edited March 1, 2014 by Tennessees Pride

[Tethys]

Here is a PDF entitled A brief* review of The Fossil Cycads which has a good species list. It doesn't have much in the way of stem or branch fossils and only one cone is figured.

*25 pages including references

Thanks for sharing!

[Tennessees Pride]

Tethys, that pdf is excellent source information to have....especially for me, as i have noticed a pattern w/ myself in thinking every other botanical i find is a Cycad! Those who know me would thank you! seriously though, i think we might be in the same area on this specimen....i can't see much else it could be if it's not Stigmaria.

[lordpiney]

I have found some Cretaceous lignite here in NJ that has preservation almost identical to yours. if I hadn't found it in-situ, I would have thought it was modern. very nice specimen!

[Tennessees Pride]

I have found some Cretaceous lignite here in NJ that has preservation almost identical to yours. if I hadn't found it in-situ, I would have thought it was modern. very nice specimen!

Hey L.P., i think lots of this type wood used to be lignite also, before being replaced. But a piece or two preserved as good as this makes me wonder if it were ever lignite. Sir, here and therein these formations, i have occasionally ran up on wood that is still wood (as strange as that sounds)....it just never went to lignite. I actually have a core of petrified wood completely wrapped in a wood covering! The wood on the outside is so fresh one could make a campfire out of it! The process that makes wood do that isn't understood at all.