Acer Maple Leaf Fossils

 

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

https://ebrary.net/27999/environment/maple

https://earthlingnature.wordpress.com/2018/07/30/the-history-of-systematics-plants-in-systema-naturae-1758-part-8/

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