1.7" Red Fossil Black Gum Tree Leaf (Planera) - Montana

This is a 1.7" fossil black gum (black tupelo) tree leaf from Nyssa alata. It is Paleocene in age and comes from the Fort Union Formation of Montana. It comes with an acrylic display stand.

The color of the rock and the leaf is rather unusual and different than most of the leaves seen from the Fort Union Formation. It was collected from a locality where a fire in a nearby coal seam "cooked" the rock at sometime in the past. This changed the color and gave it a chalky texture.