piranha Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Here is a spectacular plant fossil. It is a Sabalites palm frond from Washington. The 3D preservation is exceptional and the petiole is present with sharply detailed leaf attachment. This example is from the Middle Eocene Chuckanut Formation. Professor Retallack informs me that this should be called Sabalites eocenica as it is identical to the Clarno specimens from the John Day Formation. The literature is a bit conflicted on these although I'm quite pleased to be learning from the best. Also attached are two exceptional papers on the classification and fossil record of palms. An interesting footnote is one extant group of fan palms that survive in North America are called Washingtonia. This is my new favorite fossil plant...... Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Extraordinary relief! (no pun intended, much...) "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguy784 Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Absolutely beautiful piece. Congradulations, I'd be looking at that every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astron Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 This is my new favorite fossil plant...... Enjoy! Justifiedly, Scott It's actually very impressive :wub: Congratulations on this superb acquisition and addition to your admirable collection Astrinos P. Damianakis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Bravo!!! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 display that with low angle directional lighting... nice Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 That's awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdevey Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 :fainting-smiley: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docdutronc Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Amazing ,congratulations ....."c'est magnifique" Bruno Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Scott.... Great piece, well done Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleoflor Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Great acquisition! Very, very nice specimen and an informative post to go along with it. How does this frond differ from Sabalites campbelli? Searching for green in the dark grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 Chas, Flyguy, Astrinos, Steve, Dan, Mike, Bob, Bruno, Steve, Tim...... Thank you guys very much and really happy to see so many nice comments on this wonderful plant fossil. Also glad to see a couple of our great members from Texas. So far I have discovered records of Cretaceous (Aguja Fm.) - Oligocene (Catahoula Fm.) and a few scattered in between. I am chomping at the bit to see a few Lone Star State palm frond fossils posted. Tim: That was exactly the question that I had asked. The answer was that S. campbelli is not certain, but in any event not different. Perhaps just synonymous with S. eocenica? I will try to clarify that point more precisely later today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 The updated report is that the name Sabalites campbelli could be correct but not preferred as this species name is in present use from a description from 1878 (Newberry). After closely examining the specimen today Professor Retallack has also suggested the possibility that this is another costapalmate form, Costapalma cf. philipii. This is based on the morphological feature of the hastula (triangular termination of petiole which is adaxially concave) and expected to be prominently truncated in many sabal-type palms. If so this would represent a previously undescribed taxon from the Pacific Northwest. I will continue to research this specimen and correspond with a few scholars of fossil palms suggested by Professor Retallack. The mystery deepens...... for now. Hopefully this will get settled in short order. I'll be back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 Two palm fossil specialists concur independently on this ID: The traditional taxonomic convention for fossil palm leaves has long been to put all fan palms in the form genus Sabalites, and to put pinnate fronds in the form genera Phoenicites or Palmacites (depending on the geometry of the attachment of the petiole to the frond). The elongate triangular shape of the acumen, where the petiole joins the frond, makes me think your specimen is Sabalites ungeri, rather than the more common S. campbelli. All the specimens I've seen are of Eocene age, and this looks like it probably came either from the Chuckanut Formation or from the correlative Swauk Formation. It's a nice specimen, I'm glad you rescued it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 Here is another interesting plant fossil from Washington that showed up with the palm frond from another classic locality due east from the Chuckanut Formation. It has been identified only as an unknown angiosperm leaf from the Pipestone Canyon Formation in the Methow Valley of north-central Washington. For many years it was considered Paleocene and in the last decade has been determined to be late Cretaceous (latest Campanian to early Maastrichtian). The pollen age estimate is 75-73 Mya and the zircon fission track age was 69.8 plus or minus 6. Situated near the Okanogan highlands and producing coarse sandstone and conglomerate beds that seldom preserve fossilized remains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleoflor Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Again an amazing specimen! I cannot stay away from this forum for a few days without missing some great posts from you, can I? Haha, you continuously come up with fantastic fossils; really superb plant material! Searching for green in the dark grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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