Quercus berryi Leaf Fossil

Above is a picture of an oak leaf plant fossil called Quercus berryi (Trelease, 1918). This plant fossil dates to the Oligocene Epoch (33.7-23.8 million years ago). It was found in the state of Oregon, USA. While not listed on the label, this might be from the John Day Basin.

The fossil was on display in the Evolving Planet section of The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago Illinois, USA as of August 2020. Accession number is UP525. It is part of a plant leaf fossil collection on display.

Renamed by William Trelease (1857-1945) in 1918. The Ancient Oaks of America. Memoirs of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden 1: 492–501. It looks to me he changed the name of Q. breweri Lesquereux 1883 not Wats. to Q. berryi n. nom.

Quercus simulata Leaf Fossil

 Above is a picture of an oak leaf plant fossil called Quercus simulata (Knowlton, 1898). This plant fossil dates to the Miocene Epoch (23.8-5.3 million years ago). It was found in the state of Washington, USA. While not listed, it possible this specimen is from the Latah Formation.

The fossil was on display in the Evolving Planet section of The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago Illinois, USA as of August 2020. Accession number is P22229. They have a nice collection of plant fossils on display.

This type of leaf specimen was described by Frank Hall Knowlton (1860-1926) in the U. S. Geological Survey Eighteenth Annual Report., Part. 3, page 728, plate 101, figures. 3,4; plate. 102, figures 1, 2 1898 in the Payette formation of Idaho.

Knowlton later identified in the Latah formation of Washington in U. S. Geological Survey Prof. Paper 140, page 38, plate 22 figures 3, 4, 1926. See leaf image from figure 3 below.

Source A Revision of the Flora of the Latah Formation by Edward Wilber Berry.

https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/0154h/report.pdf

Waldron Shale Cystoid Holdfasts?

 

On September 21, 2020, I posted this fossil but was unsure what exactly it was. After consulting with my cousin Kenny and Ken (a Waldron Shale fossil hunter of over 40 years), I am leaning toward and identification that this fossil is a cluster of cystoid holdfasts.

Kenny showed me a paper entitled Taphonomy of diploporite (Echinodermata) holdfasts from a Silurian hardground, southeastern Indiana, United States:palaeoecologic and stratigraphic significance by James R. Thomka and Carlton E. Brett published in 2014 at Geol. Mag. 151 (4) in 2014 pages 649-665. It shows a variety of fossils similar to the one pictured that are thought to be parts of Silurian cystoid fossils.

A link to that paper is here:

http://webcentral.uc.edu/eprof/media/attachment/eprofmediafile_2376.pdf

The fossil was found the Silurian Period (Wenlock: Homerian Stage) in Clark County Indiana, USA. If this fossil is a series of holdfasts, then they grew in close proximity to one another.

I have found numerous cystoids in the Waldron Shale notably Caryocrinites (Say, 1825) and Holocystites (Hall 1864) aka Megacystites (Hall, 1865). See previous entries:

https://louisvillefossils.blogspot.com/2010/06/holocystites-cystoid.html

https://louisvillefossils.blogspot.com/2011/08/caryocrinites-cystoid-in-matrix.html

https://louisvillefossils.blogspot.com/2011/10/caryocrinites-persculptis-cystoid.html

https://louisvillefossils.blogspot.com/2012/05/pyrite-encrusted-caryocrinites-cystoid.html

https://louisvillefossils.blogspot.com/2012/12/silurian-caryocrinites-cystoid-fossil.html