LARGE FOSSIL LEAF

LARGE FOSSIL LEAF

Indeterminate flora species, Phareodus encaustus, Priscacara serrata, Knightia eocaena

Lower Eocene

Green River Formation, Wyoming, USA

Impressive in both size and quality of preservation, this dramatic fossil mural measures 60 x 37 x 3 inches (152.4 x 94 x 7.6 cm).

Fossil foliage is rarely preserved due to the delicate nature of leaves and the fact that they tend to decay quickly after falling. Occasionally, large fossil leaves such as the present specimen are preserved in the Green River formation and are immensely important to science because they help map out the ancient floral family tree. This uncommonly large specimen, most likely related to the genus Colocasia, is accompanied by four fossil fish of three separate species. The largest of these fossil fish is the Phareodus, ancestor of the modern piranha, displaying rows of long, needle-like teeth evidencing its carnivorous behavior. The other two species represented here are the Priscacara, relative to the modern perch, and two Knightia, related to today’s Herring

PROVENANCE

Private Florida collection