piranha Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Yesterday I had the great pleasure to receive a lovely assortment of Fort Union fossil plants from the Paleocene of Montana. As Chele promised they are back-breaking heavy slabs. The post office actually sent out a special delivery truck as too bulky for regular service. Attached are a few of my favorite examples so far and numbers 1 and 3 revealed with extra prep by me just this morning. Eventually they will all be donated to the UO-Condon Museum permanent collection. Thanks again to Chele and all others at TFF that make these wonderful gifts possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squalicorax Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 those are really nice piranna thanks for the share My Flickr Page of My Collection: http://www.flickr.com/photos/79424101@N00/sets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 What great additions for your collection and very generous of Chele! Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chele Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 (edited) I am happy that you like them Scott! I sent a variety from all the sites I have dug from. I am still very curious as to what the slab with the little crystal ball are. I have shipped many out and I hope everyone will be happy with the grab bags(boxes). P.S. did you get another metal rack? Edited November 18, 2011 by chele Chelebele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astron Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Tremendous flora :Bananasaur: It shows what may happen if the appropriate stuff goes from the appropriate sender to the appropriate receiver :sword: Congratulations both from the nice handling from the biginning to the final destination Astrinos P. Damianakis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudeman Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Very nice! Thank you for sharing. Troy Nelson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Some nice stuff for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Scott... Those are fabulous pieces... Thats very kind of you Chelle... I think Scott has a great representation of USA flora in his collection and its nice for him to be able to add to it... especially pieces of that quality... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nala Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Wonderfull fossils Scott ! Thanks to share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Menser Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Very cool! Be true to the reality you create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chele Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 I just have to say that your photos really bring out the leaves. They are so much nicer than the photos I had taken of those same leaves. At first I did not think they were the ones I had sent you! Chelebele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 (edited) These are very nice.. can't wait to get my batch! Chele, if these are your spares, your keepers must be quite impressive indeed. (I'm sure I've only seen a few of them in your posts) Do you have any names on these yet, Scott? Edited November 20, 2011 by Wrangellian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alopias Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 very nice fossil plants !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share Posted November 20, 2011 These are very nice.. can't wait to get my batch! Chele, if these are your spares, your keepers must be quite impressive indeed. (I'm sure I've only seen a few of them in your posts) Do you have any names on these yet, Scott? Haha... Yes Eric, just sorting out a few details on specific names and will post those along with representative figures later today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docdutronc Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Hi Scott very nice color Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chele Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 These are very nice.. can't wait to get my batch! Chele, if these are your spares, your keepers must be quite impressive indeed. (I'm sure I've only seen a few of them in your posts) Do you have any names on these yet, Scott? Everyone will receive very nice leaves. I still have tons left. The sites I have here give up excellent specimens. I have barely made a scratch on the surface. The sites are massive and it seems the more I dig the better the quality. Almost every rock is layered, so if you do not like the look of one of the rocks just flake a layer off and you will find another you might like! I still can not believe I have not found an insect. You would think that with all of the leaves there would be at least one bug! So if anyone does find an insect please post it. I would love to see it. Chelebele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share Posted November 20, 2011 Thanks everyone for all of the wonderful comments and most of all thanks again to Chele. As Chele mentioned in the previous post, a little skill and luck will be necessary to navigate the densely cemented layers of matrix. Typically the fractures are conchoidal and extremely unpredictable to work successfully. The two larger complete leaves were not visible out of the box and a few hours of prep was required to extract them. As promised here are the IDs for this group of plants. I have thoroughly enjoyed the time researching the different Paleocene floras of western North America. The literature and figures referenced are specifically correlated to the Fort Union Fm flora. The Eucommia serrata, Platanus reynoldsii and Carya antiquorum are superb additions as well as three species in the family Cupressaceae represented; Glyptostrobus nordenskioldi, Metasequoia occidentalis and Taxodium olriki. The most fascinating gem is the compound floating water foliage of Trapa angulata which is ironically a member of the water chestnut family, Trapaceae. Still working on a few other pieces... :sword: :geek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chele Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 One of my sites is pretty much just Trapa angulata, not much of anything else. The rock is mostly red. I am still amazed by the quantity of leaves in one area. They are just layers and layers of leaves. There was such a variety of plants and leaves then compared to now. The areas I find this rock is mainly cottonwwod trees. There are a few different trees here and there but nothing like it was millions of years ago. It must have been a beautifull sight! Chelebele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 One of my sites is pretty much just Trapa angulata, not much of anything else. The rock is mostly red. I am still amazed by the quantity of leaves in one area. They are just layers and layers of leaves. There was such a variety of plants and leaves then compared to now. The areas I find this rock is mainly cottonwwod trees. There are a few different trees here and there but nothing like it was millions of years ago. It must have been a beautifull sight! Trapa is regarded today as a nuisance invasive species. Pain in the neck for the anglers but still quite an impressive plant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Awesome finds Chele, and a great gift to a most deserving member. Thanks for sharing Scott!!! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Good work Scott, I am surprised by that Trapa, I dont see things like that very often, usually just the dry-land flora. Might be something significant there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 (edited) Hi Chele and Scott, I just received my box, so if you don't mind me posting the pics here maybe as a one-stop Ft Union ID page I'll do so now! This first one is odd, blunt at the end and at least 3 veins radiating from the base where the stem attaches (needs prep to remove the rest): This one looks like the Carya antiquorum..?: I'm not sure if the first one is like this one and the tip is just hidden, or if it is a different type or variation within the species: Edited December 4, 2011 by Wrangellian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 More... Trapa angulata: Are these snails from the same formation? and do they have a name yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted December 4, 2011 Author Share Posted December 4, 2011 Hi Eric, Poking around through the literature and Melastomites montanensis recorded from the Fort Union Formation appears to be a good fit for the two leaves you highlighted (1 & 3). Attached are a few photo plates with description comparing it with the venation of Sassafras. Additionally, follow the link to images of modern Melastomataceae (Melastomacea [sic]) foliage for comparison. LINK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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