Longitudinal cut CYATHODENDRON South Texas polished petrified fern false trunk

Description

"Cup Fern"
(Cyathodendron texanum)
Jackson Group  Eocene
Private Ranch in Life Oak County, Texas
**  This is an ancient ancestor of the living genus Cyathea, a group of over 470 species of giant tree ferns found today in tropical climates. The early rockhounds thought that the frond bases in these fossils somehow resembled "cups" along the exterior and the name "cupfern" took hold for the fossil. Some rockhounds referred to them as "Fernbuds" because they thought the large frond bases represented "buds" of new ferns.  Of course, ferns do not reproduce by budding off of a trunk or by a rhizome, so that name, while perhaps engaging, is completely incorrect in its interpretation. This fossil species was first described by Chester Arnold, one of the most accomplished American paleobotanists of the mid-20th century. The specific epitath, "texanum" is derived from the fact that the fossil was once widely found on the surface and collected on ranches and reservoir margins in south Texas. Today they are much harder to find - the surface materials have been picked up and new specimens are mainly found after rainstorms erode them out of streambanks and gullies. The specimen offered in this auction is a longitudinal end cut of a portion of the periphery of a very large fern.  The natural side has several very nice frond bases (that indeed resemble cups) and you can see some fabulous preservation of the anatomical structure on the polished longitudinal face. In both of the photos, the top of the photo would be the direction of fern growth.  Structures visible on the polished face include vascular bundles, ramentum, frond traces and occasional adventitious roots.    Be sure to enlarge the photos to see the level of detail preserved.  The specimen measures 3.5" x 2.25" on the polished face (longest chords) and it is approximately 1 1/4 inch thick.
We specialize in petrified wood and plant fossils which are accurately identified as to locality of origin and family, genus or species. We don’t guess and when we don’t know, we say so! Your specimen will come with a label identifying the specimen, the locality where it was collected, the formation and age of the material and any other pertinent information we have gleaned from our literature search.
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