Douglass Pass Leaf

[mdpaulhus]

I collected this at Douglas Pass last year.  Can anyone identify it?  I was thinking it was Lygodium,  but seeing other images of Lygodium I am now not at all sure and am thinking maybe Sapindus?  Obviously I am not great on the plant IDs

 

I am not hiving great luck in finding a good paper to identify flora from this site.   I was really hoping for something like the Daniel Axlerod papers which are very comprehensive.  I do have one called "Fossils from the Green River Formation" by Dayvault and another called " Common Plant Fossils from the Green River Formation at Douglas Pass, Colorado and Bonanza, Utah" by Johnson & Plumb.  Both good,  but short.   "The Lost World of Fossil Lake" is also a good book that has helped me some. Anyone have any other good suggestions?

[mdpaulhus]

Oh,  and for the size:  the height of the center leaf is 3.5".  The entire thing is about 5" from bottom of stem to top. 

[jpc]

I don't think it is Lygodium.   If I remember correctly, where the lobes come together in Lyg, the leaf is not pinched like this guy, but bulbous.  

[JohnBrewer]

Nice find 

[piranha]

It also looks similar to: Sterculia coloradensis

 

Here is the classic reference:

 

MacGinitie, H.D. (1969)

The Eocene Green River flora of northwestern Colorado and northeastern Utah.

University of California Publications in Geological Sciences, 83:1-202

[Terminal Stareasaurus]

Sometimes I get books on trees to identify a leaf or bark fossil. I don't always look in a book about fossils.  

[abyssunder]

"STERCULIACEAE
Sterculia coloradensis Brown
Plate 61, figure 13
Sterculia coloradensis Brown, I". S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 154, p. 290, pl. 74, figs. 6, 7, 1929.
The present specimen is figured here to amplify the conception of the species, which was founded upon somewhat imperfect specimens. There is apparently a close relationship between this species and Sterculia wilcoxensis Berry, (12) from the Wilcox group.
Occurrence: Green River formation, Fossil, Wyo. Middle Eocene. Figured specimen in Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan. "

 

link

[mdpaulhus]

Thanks for the info.  I think Piranha and Abyssunder have the right direction on this one as I found a photo of Stericula from Bonanza that looks very similar to mine.  

 

Now,  I think this one is probably Lygodium.  Unfortunately it came out in about 10 pieces and was a real puzzle to gather up and put back togther.

[abyssunder]

That is not a problem... the problem was in the region circled in red. That's the constituent reason why I posted before. 

 

 

Lygodium? Not a bad idea ... link

[Shamalama]

Great find and prep job to expose the leaf stem. How difficult is it to excavate out something like that when it is buried in the rock, and what do you use to do the work?  I have leaves from there that are partially buried by bad splits and one day I would like to clean them up. 

[Fossilized Dad]

Stercula coloradensis?