Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 10:11 pm
Bob, Bart,
Looks like a great site. Tuliptrees continue to surprise in terms of size. For what it is worth, I think the tree in question is a sassafras. Generally you can scratch the bark in the grooves between plates and get that sassafras smell even on older specimens and get that sassafras smell.
FYI: Here is a fossil of a sassafras leaf (Sassafras hesperia) from the Eocene Period 36-55 million years ago) from the Klondike Mountain Formation of Washington and British Columbia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassafras_hesperia
Ed
Looks like a great site. Tuliptrees continue to surprise in terms of size. For what it is worth, I think the tree in question is a sassafras. Generally you can scratch the bark in the grooves between plates and get that sassafras smell even on older specimens and get that sassafras smell.
FYI: Here is a fossil of a sassafras leaf (Sassafras hesperia) from the Eocene Period 36-55 million years ago) from the Klondike Mountain Formation of Washington and British Columbia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassafras_hesperia
Ed