Entelophyllum Museum Grade Coral

This series of pictures shows an Entelophyllum (Wedekind, 1927) coral found in the Louisville Limestone of Jefferson County, Kentucky. Using large amounts of muriatic acid and patience, this coral was revealed from its limestone matrix. It is almost 20 cm long. These first two pictures show evidence of the corallites budding from a parent.

The two images after that show the talons that connected the corallites together. Three species of Entelophyllum are found in the Louisville area: E. eruciforme (Davis), E. rugosum, and E. strictum. This coral is from the Middle Silurian but can sometimes be confused with the Devonian Eridophyllum found in the Jeffersonville Limestone. The genus has also been known in the past by the name Diphyphyllum or Xylodes.

Thanks to Kenny for letting me photograph this specimen and good job on its preparation.

Close ups of the corallites side view.

Close up of some of the coral septas in the colonial mass.

Plant Fossils at State Park

Last week, I visited the interpretive center at the Falls of the Ohio State Park in Clarksville, Indiana located across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. They have two temporary fossil displays that have nice specimens to observe. One on paleoecology and the second on plants from the fossil collection of Herb Miracle. These pictures represent just a small sample of the specimens on display so if you get a chance visit and check out all the fossils.

The first fossil shown is of a long (30+ cm) section of Calamites from the Pennsylvanian Period layers of eastern Kentucky. The next image if a Lepidodendron aculeatum imprint found the Carboniferous of France.

Next is another French plant fossil called Syringodendron.

The following image is an eastern Kentucky plant fossil identified as Lescuropteris.

The next pictures shows two segments of a Stigmaria fucoides from eastern Kentucky.

Last picture is of another eastern Kentucky Pennsylvanian Period plant fossil Neuropteris.

Arucaria mirabilis Fossil Lignotubers

Arucaria mirabilis fossil "seedlings" (lignotubers) found in the petrified forest formation of Cerro Madre Ehija, Santa Cruz province, Argentina. Fossil dates to the Middle Jurassic Period (Callovian) or about 160 million years old. Learn more about this fossil at The Virtual Fossil Museum web site and Wikipedia.

UPDATED: Thanks to Dave at Views of the Mahantango for pointing out that these fossils were once considered "seedlings" are now thought to be lignotubers. According to Wikipedia, lignotubers are "starchy swellings of the root crown".

Thanks to Mark Palatas for letting me photograph these specimens.