Two Detailed Fossil Leaves (Aesculus & Rhamnites) - Montana

This plate features detailed fossil leaves of Rhamnites cleburnii and Aesculus hickeyi from the Fort Union Formation of Montana. It is from the Paleocene, or approximately 60 million years old. They were collected from a locality where a fire in a nearby coal seam "cooked" the rock at some point in the past. This changed the color and gave it a chalky texture.

Leaf identification by #:

#12 - Aesculus hickeyi (Hickory leaf) - formerly Carya antiquorum
#24 - Rhamnites cleburnii - formerly Rhamnus sp.

There are some areas of restoration on the surface of the leaf where there was some flaking onto the negative. An acrylic display stand is included.