One Dozen Cercidiphyllum Paleocene Plant Leaf Fossils

This large and thick plate contains one dozen complete and partial leaf fossils of Cercidiphyllum articulum. Coming from the 60 million year old, famous Fort Union Formation's red shale.

Katsura is the Japanese name for the tree. The scientific name Cercidiphyllum refers to the close resemblance of the leaves to those of Cercis (redbuds); these two unrelated genera can however be distinguished easily as redbud leaves are alternate, not opposite. A picture is also included below of a living Cercidiphyllum japonicum trunk and leaves, which can reach 45 meters tall with a 2 meter diameter trunk, making it one of the largest hardwood trees in Asia