1.4" Detailed Cardiospermum Coloradensis Balloon Vine Fossil Plant Leaf Eocene Age
Location: Green River Formation, Uintah County Utah
Weight: 5.8 Ounces
Dimensions: 3.4 Inches Long, 2.9 Inches Wide, 0.8 Inches Thick (Plate)
Leaf Dimensions: 1.4 Inches Long, 1 Inch Wide
The item pictured is the one you will receive.
This is a genuine fossil, not a replica.
Eocene Age 56 million years ago
Cardiospermum Coloradensis are fossil plant remains found in the famous Green River formation deposits, which are of Eocene age, dating them to between 53 to 48 million years old, and were collected in Colorado, USA. This plant belongs to the soapberry family, which is often easily recognized in modern times due to its vibrant bright red fruit. The leaves themselves are a dark brown color, while the shale matrix, as expected of these fossils is a pale sandy color.
While the Green River Formation is a Lagerstätte most known for its exquisite fish fossils, the fossil flora and fauna are truly diverse, including plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates (including reptiles, mammals) with even Eocene stromatolites represented. This willow leaf shows nice venation. There is also a tiny insect, not so well preserved. Insects are not commonly seen in Green River fossils.
Fossil representatives abundant in shales of the early Middle Eocene of the Green River Formation in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming, and it is clear that the family was an important component of vegetation that surrounded the large lakes in which these shales were deposited.
