Oh, Canada. Today's post is Canada's national symbol showing pictures of maple leaves plant fossils called Acer sp. (Linnaeus). These plant fossils date to the Oligocene Epoch (33.7-23.8 million years ago). They were found in the state of Oregon, USA.
The fossils were on display in the Evolving Planet section of The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago Illinois, USA as of August 2020.
These fossils were only identified by their genus name. The name Acer is attributed to Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778) the Swedish botanist and "father of taxonomy" who used the common Latin name for maple trees. The name was derived from Indo-European origins meaning "sharp". I believe he named it in Systema Naturae 1758 part 8.
References:
https://www.fnps.org/assets/pdf/palmetto/v13i4p8austin.pdf
