1.5" Detailed Fossil Plant Leafs Metasequoia Dawn Redwood Oligocene Age MT COA
Location: Muddy Creek Formation, Beaverhead County, Montana
Weight: 0.7 Ounces
Dimensions: 2.4 Inches Long, 1.9 Inches Wide, 0.2 Inches Thick (Plate)
Leaf Dimensions: 1.5 Inches Long, 0.6 Inches Wide
Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
The item pictured is the one you will receive.
Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia) Fossil – Living Fossil from the Age of Dinosaurs
The Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia) is one of the most remarkable plant lineages in Earth’s history, tracing its origins back to the age of dinosaurs. Closely related to the California redwoods, Metasequoia was long known only from the fossil record and was famously believed to be extinct until living trees were discovered in central China in 1944. This extraordinary rediscovery earned Metasequoia the title of a true “living fossil.”
Metasequoia is a deciduous conifer, both in the past and today, shedding its needles seasonally. Fossil specimens document its widespread distribution during the Mesozoic and early Cenozoic eras, when it thrived in warm, humid forests. Modern Dawn Redwoods retain many ancestral traits, growing rapidly into tall, elegant trees with a pyramidal form, reaching heights of up to 120 feet.
Ideal for fossil collectors, paleobotany enthusiasts, educators, and museum displays, a Metasequoia fossil offers a rare and tangible connection between prehistoric forests and living landscapes. It highlights evolutionary continuity, climate change through time, and the enduring success of one of the world’s most iconic tree genera.
