1.4" Rare Fossil Pistillate Cone Metasequoia Dawn Redwood Oligocene Age MT COA
Location: Muddy Creek Formation, Beaverhead County, Montana
Weight: 2.7 Ounces
Dimensions: 2.3 Inches Long, 2.3 Inches Wide, 0.6 Inches Thick (Plate)
Cone And Stem Dimensions: 1.4 Inches Long, 0.5 Inches Wide
Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
The item pictured is the one you will receive.
The Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia) is an extraordinary tree genus that traces its origins back to the age of dinosaurs, making it one of the most significant living fossil trees known today. Closely related to the California redwoods, Metasequoia was once widespread across the Northern Hemisphere and is well documented in the fossil record.
For decades, the Dawn Redwood was believed to be extinct and known only from fossilized leaves, cones, and wood. This assumption changed dramatically in 1944, when living specimens were discovered in central China, making it a landmark botanical discovery of the 20th century. Because of this, Metasequoia was originally referred to as a “fossil tree.”
Unlike most conifers, the Dawn Redwood is deciduous, shedding its soft needles each autumn. Modern Metasequoia trees grow rapidly and develop a tall, straight trunk with a symmetrical pyramidal crown, often reaching heights of up to 120 feet. Fossil and living Dawn Redwoods provide valuable insight into prehistoric ecosystems, ancient climates, and the evolutionary continuity between extinct and modern plant life.
