1.9" Fossil Seed Cone (Or Aggregate Fruit) - Morocco

This is a 1.9" Eocene-aged fossil seed cone or fruit of some kind, found in the Sahara Desert west of Boujdour, Morocco.

These seed cones are something of a mystery in paleontology. They are frequently labeled as fossil conifer or pine cones, though others have theorized that they are in fact fossil aggregate fruits, since most of them show heavy insect feeding damage and they tend to look like small pineapples or jackfruit. They are also occasionally labeled as fossil horsetail seed pods. As of yet, we are not aware of any published research to put forward a theory as to their true identification.

Nevertheless, these silica-replaced (agatized) fossils are awesome plant fossils that show a lot of detail, including frequent signs of insect predation and, in some cases, seed bursts. Add to your paleobotany collection with this neat find!