Metasequoia from Cedar Canyon, North Dakota Eocene polished petrified wood

Description

Dawn Redwood
(Metasequoia sp.)
Golden Valley Formation Eocene
Cedar Canyon, near Medora, North Dakota
** This specimen from private ranchlands in the far western edge of North Dakota comes from the same Golden Valley Formation that outcrops with fossil wood in the nearby Theodore Roosevelt National Park, where the fossil forest is preserved for future generations.  It is another example of localities where small rounds are very scarce and the more common large rounds tend to be measured in feet, not inches.  So we were quite pleased to obtain material from private property with a center pith that is appropriately-sized for display cabinets and drawers. You may well recall the story of Metasequoia – once thought to be totally extinct and only known from fossil leaves and wood.  Then, in 1947, over 1000 of these trees were found living in a remote 25 mile long valley of the Yangtze River in China -- and in 1948 the distinguished UC Berkeley paleobotanist, Ralph Cheney, re-examined fossil evidence, made a trip to the valley site in China and became the first westerner to visit the grove. With the assistance of other botanists and horticulturists, Chaney packaged seeds and sent them to universities and arboretums all over the world. Today the trees are growing in even the smallest arboretums.
Oddly, the Metasequoia is one of the very few conifers that are deciduous. They lose their foliage in the autumn and put on a fresh coat of green every spring. So, while they are in the same family (Taxodiaceae) with the modern Redwood and Swamp Cypress, they are indeed quite different and have a great story to tell.  This slab measures
4.5” x 3” on the polished face and 1/2” 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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