Trees
Gyrocarpus sp.
A tree whose leaves come in non-lobed, two-lobed, and three-lobed forms — a lesson in fossil ID.
Palms
Palmites sp.
Palm fronds and inflorescences — indicators of a warm, wet Fossil Lake shoreline.
Winged Fruits
Lagokarpos lacustris
A wind-dispersed winged fruit known only from lake deposits — and with no modern counterpart.
Trees of Heaven
Ailanthus confucii
The oldest known representation of the Simaroubaceae family in North America — possibly the world.
Ferns
Platycerium sp.
A staghorn fern — today a tropical genus of almost 20 living species.
Water Ferns
Salvinia preauriculata
An aquatic fern with two floating leaves and one root-like leaf hanging below the surface.
Climbing Ferns
Lygodium kaulfussi
A climbing fern — living relatives grow continuously throughout their lives.
Lotuses
Nelumbo sp.
Aquatic lotus fossils — lily pads, root systems, and characteristic seed pods.
Winged Fruits
Chaneya tenuis
A fruit that resembles a flower — characterized by five petal-like wings.
Birthworts
Birthwort
An undescribed birthwort — modern relatives are tropical pipe-vines pollinated by flies.
Soapberries
Deviacer wolfei
A soapberry relative — modern family members include maple and lychee.
Seeds
Walnut
A seed with the appearance of a walnut.