Brachyphyllum sp.

extinct conifer

Late Jurassic

about 160 million years old

Solnhofen, Germany

Why this Rocks:

Brachyphyllum is an extinct group of conifers (cone-bearing trees) belonging to the Family of Araucariaceae.  This family dates back to the Carboniferous Period, long before the dinosaurs, but was most diverse during the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods.

Brachyphyllum is related to Araucaria, the fossilized cones of which are well-known from the Middle Jurassic Cerro Cuadrado petrified forest in Argentina.  These were trees that thrived in tropical areas so scientists have concluded that Germany and Argentina had tropical climates across the Jurassic Period.

This specimen was collected from the same fine-grained limestone layer as the earliest-known bird, Archaeopteryx.  Fossils from this limestone are uncommon but land plants are especially rare since the deposit represents a lagoon largely cut off from a major sea that crossed southern Europe for millions of years.

Dimensions:

This Fossil measures approx. 34 1/2” x 26” x 1″

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