| Fossil Wood of Flowering Plants |
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| Conifers and flowering plants differ in that conifers use tracheids for both support and water transport, whereas flowering plants (hardwoods) use two distinct cell types for these functions: vessels for water transport and fibers for support. There are five kinds of petrified hardwoods in Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. |
Ring-porous hardwoods
Four of the hardwoods found at Florissant are "ring porous" meaning that the have large-diameter vessels. Ring-porous woods are characteristic of highly seasonal climates with distinct dry or cold seasons. The four ring-porous woods at Florissant most closely resemble Koelreuteria (Golden-rain tree), Robinia (locust), and two types similar to Zelkova (Caucasian elm). |
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The extinct genus Chadronoxylon
Chadronoxylon stumps are found intermixed with Sequoia stumps near the Monument headquarters. Its vessels are more scattered, and it was a large tree growing upwards of 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) in diameter, which means it could have been at least 30 meters (98 feet) tall. Scientists are unsure in what group Chadronoxylon belongs because corresponding fossil leaves and/or fruit have yet to be found. |
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| Thin section images courtesy of Elisabeth Wheeler. |
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