Possible Palmoxylon Mohavensis or something else

[Kato]

Okay, I finally unpacked some boxes a couple of weeks with the intent of finally getting this officially named. I believe it is Palmoxylon Mohavensis and I believe from the Miocene. Found in the Mojave Desert in California, north and east of Red Rock Canyon and north and west of Last Chance Canyon about 40 years ago.

 

Size of overall specimen is approximately 4" x 5" x 6"

 

In addition to not knowing the true identity, I think this is also down by the roots? 

 

Starting with the end that has been cut and somewhat polished. Graining is confused leading me to think root end of tree??

 

 

Opposite end

 

 

[Kato]

One side

 

Opposite side to that

[Kato]

Root(?) end.

 

Slight zoom in

[Kato]

zoom into one of the openings

 

a shot of a busted open section

[ynot]

Looks like a fern to Me.

[abyssunder]

Maybe something similar to both of them ( Palmoxylon and Rhizopalmoxylon), but I'm not well versed in fossil plants.

link

[Rockwood]

41 minutes ago, Kato said:

Graining is confused leading me to think root end of tree

I think you have it in a confused kind of way. I think the outside layers of the trunk were essentially a mass of roots. 

[Rockwood]

In ferns that is.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Nice piece, whatever it may be! 

[Kato]

37 minutes ago, abyssunder said:

Maybe something similar to both of them ( Palmoxylon and Rhizopalmoxylon), but I'm not well versed in fossil plants.

link

Between this and what @Rockwood said it got me to thinking 'how similar are modern palms'?  A little searching and I found the diagram below. It appears the palm roots did not spread either far or wide but the bases were basically pot shaped. To me, very interesting, palm trees can make basal offshoots and high offshoots per this diagram. Not that I've seen a lot of palms but I did not know that factoid.

 

Given the odd, not pot shaped, form of this specimen, I begin to wonder if either basal or high offshoots are a possibility and could the 'roots' possibly be where leaves actually emerged from?