Welcome to Catnapin's
Cretaceous Fossil Plant Gallery
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(Phylum)
Red text = needs information
Fossil identification by Jo Cox unless otherwise noted
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Neuropteris sp. Period: Pierre Shale, upper Cretaceous Location: South Dakota Collection: Sharon Winkler Partida Size: 49 mm long nodule, 45 mm long midvein |
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Description: fern pinnule, in nodule |
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Cycadophyta, ?, Cycadeoidales, Bennettitaceae
(Phylum, Class, Order, Family)
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Cycadeoidea marylandica Period: Cretaceous Location: Tagreads "Maryland 1889 Collection: Hardin-Simmons University Size: 108 mm tall x 252 mm wide, inside is 54 mm wide |
outer surface
surface of inner trunk
top view, bottom view
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Description: Section of the outer layers of a Cycad tree trunk. Triangular marks are foliage leaf scars. Clusters are "flower-like" auxiliary fertile shoots. |
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After plants first colonized land, it took 230 million years before the next new development in plant design: angiosperms. These are the plants are most common today. Flowering shrubs and small trees fed the last of the dinosaurs. Grass arrived after the K/T boundary.
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Anthophyta ?, ?, Leguminosae
(Phylum, Class, Order, Superfamily)
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Mimosites sp. Common name: Mimosa Period: Mancos formation, upper Cretaceous Location: north west Colorado Collection: Abilene Christian University Natural History Collection |
#1 #2 Size: 138 mm wide slab, 33 mm long midvein 2 specimens |
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Description: Leaflet of a compound leaf. An angiosperm tree that grew in arid conditions. |
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Anthophyta ?, ?, Moraceae
(Phylum, Class, Order, Superfamily)
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Ficus sp. Common name: Ficus Period: Mancos formation, upper Cretaceous Location: north west Colorado Collection: Abilene Christian University Natural History Collection Size: ? mm wide slab, ? mm long midvein |
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Description: Leaf from an angiosperm tree. |
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Anthophyta ?, ?, Salicaceae
(Phylum, Class, Order, Superfamily)
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Populus sp. Common name: Poplar Period: Mancos formation, upper Cretaceous Location: north west Colorado Collection: Abilene Christian University Natural History Collection |
#1 #2 #3 3 specimens |
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Description: Leaf from an angiosperm tree. |
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Salix sp. Common name: Willow Period: Mancos formation, upper Cretaceous Location: north west Colorado Collection: Abilene Christian University Natural History Collection Size: 85 mm wide slab, 33 mm long midvein |
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Description: Leaf from an angiosperm tree. |
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Anthophyta ?, ?, Anacardiaceae
(Phylum, Class, Order, Superfamily)
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Rhus sp. Common name: Sumac Period: Mancos formation, upper Cretaceous Location: north west Colorado Collection: Abilene Christian University Natural History Collection Size: 116 mm wide slab, 50 mm long midvein |
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Description: Leaf from an angiosperm tree. These trees have several kinds of leaves, some can be quite wide. Living species include R. copallina, the sumac bush found in Texas, and R. toxicodendron, poison ivy. |
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